


The Empire Of Dragons

by Eternal_Love_Song



Category: Dragon Cave, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Baby dragons - Freeform, Developing Friendships, Dragon Empires Are Not Built In A Day, Dragons, F/M, Families of Choice, Friendship/Love, Just An Idea I Can't Get Rid Of, Magic, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, Unconventional Families, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-01
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-03-20 10:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3646677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Love_Song/pseuds/Eternal_Love_Song
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being banished from her village, Lola Love stumbles upon a pile of abandoned dragon eggs and decides that she won't take her banishment alone. What begins as a desire for companionship evolves into a legacy she never could have foreseen.</p><p>Based on my scroll from Dragon Cave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Wave (Part I)

**Author's Note:**

> My Dargon scroll, where all these crazy idea sprung from. Somehow. http://dragcave.net/user/Lola_Love
> 
> I honestly have no idea where this is going. (Or rather, how I'm going to get there.) This is mostly just distraction, really.  
> (I do love the idea, though.)

The roaring of beasts mingled with the crackle of thunder and the flashes of lightning that flared in the sky. There was no rain and the display of power and ferocity nearly chased her away. Curiosity made her inch just a bit closer. She dared not move too close to the cave as she attempted to get a better look, least she be noticed. As she laid eyes upon them, her heartbeat sped up. There were dragons in the cave, various sizes, colors, and species doing everything from tending young to fighting each other. 

She couldn't say what it was that compelled her to move closer, but she was moving before she'd even thought about it, and once she did notice, she tried not to think at all as she let her instincts move her.

Outside the cave, tucked into a nook of wall and slightly covered by a canopy of leaves, there was a small pile of eggs. It was clear that these eggs had been abandoned, and she could see a similar pile just inside the cave. The ones inside would be risky to grab, if she were going to. They didn't seem to be watched, but why take such a chance?

It was impulse as much as anything else that compelled her to steal dragon eggs. She picked out four that called to her, unable to carry anymore than that. They were weighty, but not so much that she could not hold them. She took her leave quickly from the mouth of the cave. She did not want to be seen by any of the dragons. Just because it seemed no one wanted the eggs, did not mean that the dragons wouldn't destroy her for daring to steal from them.

She hiked until her arms and legs became sore, wanting to place as much distance between herself and the dragon cave as possible. It was difficult to maneuver through the thick floral. Large leaves obstructed her view, unruly roots tangled about her feet, and it became so hot so quickly that she was panting and sweating as she continued on. She stopped once she found a cave of her own to rest in. The opening was partially covered by an overhanging of leaves and she ducked inside gratefully.

She practically collapsed once she was within, gently setting her eggs on the ground but taking no such care with herself. She took a few moments to catch her breath as she lay on the ground, feeling the cooler damp air of the cave settling around her. She glanced at the eggs before her, impulsively speaking aloud. "We should be safe here.

She took a moment to study the four eggs she had gathered. Each of them were slightly larger than her head and had been of substantial weight. The first egg was orange and had a strange aura radiating from it; the second egg was white and looked clean and completely devoid of scratches, which was odd considering the small nicks and scratches  on the other eggs, but she shrugged it off; The third egg was a light blue color that had strange white marking the reminded her of the wind; the final egg was sitting in a puddle, though she was certain that he cave had been dry when she entered.

"You sure are strange, babies," she said to them. Of course, why shouldn't they be? They were dragon eggs, after all.

She took off the bag she had on her back, which held all the supplied that she could carry. She took out a few scrolls, searching them until she found one that she'd taken from a nook near the dragon caves. She didn't know for what purpose dragons would have scrolls, save for hoarding, but if anything had been on it earlier, it was certainly blank now.

It was her intention to keep a record of her progress with her dragons, starting with describing her eggs. She took one of her writing implements from her bag and wrote her name at the top of the scroll; Lola Love. The ink sank deeply into the parchment as if modified by magic. She watched as the ink continued to swirl on the scroll, creating illustrations of her of her eggs and accompanying descriptions. Colored ink bled into the spaces between the lines of the illustrations, filling out until their likeness was completely and beautifully displayed.

"Wow!" she said to herself. What else could she say, really? Dragons magic was more advanced than she could have imagined!

She looked at her dragons, sitting neatly in a little circle. This was such a large commitment and felt almost grounded by it. Her connection to them was immortalized on her scroll and she held to it tightly.

After staring at her eggs sitting in the cold cave floor, discontentment began to stir within her. Now was a good time to practice her magic. There was no one around to disapprove and her dragons could use a nest to rest in.

She raised her hands, channeled her magic, and began to construct a nest. She shaped a section of the ground into a bowl like depression, rounding off the edges, and making it large enough to fit all four eggs. She carefully placed her scroll and supplied off the side and left the cave, gathering a quick armful of leaves. She placed them in the nest, creating a small cushion. One by one she placed the eggs into the nest before laying down beside it.

She was exhausted even from that small amount of magic. She was a complete novice, but she would need to improve if it was going to do her and her dragons any good.

She curled up around her eggs, wrapping herself protective around them. "We're family now, so don't be scared little ones. I'm here for you You aren't alone anymore" She began to hum a little tune and continued until she fell into a light slumber.

* * *

 

It was late morning when the sun finally streamed through the leaves and into the cave to wake her. It took a moment for her to clear her head and once she had, her attention was immediately on her eggs. They seemed to take a lot of her attention, despite not doing much of anything. She couldn't help but wonder what they would be like, what they would do. What kind of thing was growing, waiting, just inside those shells? The thought made her both nervous and excited.

Once the afternoon hit, she decided that it would be a good idea to search for food. She had a little in her pack, but now seemed like the best time to scavenge. She wished that she had someone to watch over her eggs, but she would simply have to trust that no one would come along and find her hiding place. 

She found a healthy amount of fruits, nuts, and even caught a fish or two, then she took it all back to her cave. She built a small fire to cook her fish and looked again at her scroll, intent upon studying it. She was rather surprised to find that a map had sprung up on the back, showing both the dragon cave where she had found her eggs and the area she had traveled since. Storing that information, she decided to explore more later and perhaps the next day, as well.

On the third day of having her eggs, she returned to her cave to find two of them beginning to crack. She squealed giddily and rushed to her eggs, hovering over them. "I guess you'll be joining me soon," she said to them.

The next day there were even more cracks, and the other two had begun to crack as well. Her excitement was bubbling within her and she poured attention on them even more than before. She brought new leaves to the nest, adjusted the size to account for the soon to be hatching eggs. She spent more some time creating a bed of her own, raising a portion of the ground for her bed and making herself a headrest of leaves. Then she spent the rest of her energy practicing her magic, trying to exercise a muscle that has sorely needed stretching in her.

On the fifth day of having her eggs, her orange egg finally hatched all the way, the baby growing out of it's shell with it's eyes pressed tightly closed.

"Aww," she cooed to herself, lifting the tiny hatchling into her arms. It opened it's eyes and, after blinking a few times, looked straight into her own. They were a bright, clear blue, hypnotic and oddly entrancing. "You are such a cute baby dragon... although..." She stared deeper into it's eyes, feeling a strange energy from the newborn hatchling. "Such strange eyes..." she whispered.

The orange hatchling made a sound, a cross between a growl, a purr, and cooing, directed at her. She held it closely to her body, still staring into it's eyes, as she made a cooing sound of her own, though it was nothing like the inhuman song the hatchling made. Staring into it's eyes, she felt something... a pull or a touch, inside her mind that she somehow knew came from her little hatchling. It wasn't a word, exactly, it was more of a feeling, a sensation. She could feel the meaning or an approximation of it.

"Yes," she said to her little hatchling. "I am your mother." The sound came again and she held the hatchling closer, cuddling it to her body as she cooed in return. The newborn dragon would not likely understand words, but it could probably understand the feeling of being held in her arms, being safe and protected and loved. She held it in her arms the entire day, not placing it back into the nest with the others until it slept. She checked the scroll and found that her dragon had been identified. Underneath the picture that was once an egg but now had a rendering of the hatchling, was her dragon's breed.

 **Magi Dragon**. _Magi dragons are, as their names suggest, primarily magic users. They rarely use physical forms of attack. They eat anything they can kill, which is generally everything. They won't kill unprovoked except when hunting, although they may kill humans if in danger. Their strong magic makes them one of the most feared breeds of dragons._

"Wow." She said to herself. "Lucky me... I hope." It would either be grand or disastrous. Looking down at her sleeping little hatchling, she decided to hope for the best.

Later that same day, the light blue egg became fully hatched. She automatically cooed as she reached for the baby, pausing, when she noticed it had hatched with wings. That seemed...odd. Was it suppose to have wings? All thoughts temporarily ceased when the baby cried out with a tiny, high pitched, screech.

"Oh, come here little one." She picked it up and cuddled it.

The sound woke the little magi dragon and the hatchling bound out of the nest and into her lap, trying to peer at the squirming bundle in her arms. She gingerly lowered her arms so the magi dragon could peer into them.

"Look, we have an addition to the family," she told the magi.

The orange dragon blinked it's bright, magical looking eyes at the blue winged one and cried out. The dragon in her arms answered and after a few more calls, the newly born dragon tried to squirm out of her arms to get to the magi. She placed it on the ground and the two nuzzled and tousled with each other, lightly and playfully. She smiled at them, cooing in their direction when they would stop to stare at her or wander near. She thought that she ought to make the nest bigger once they were asleep, clear out the broken shells. She checked the scroll, finding the description and updated picture of her newest hatchling.

 **Skywing Dragon.** _Skywing dragons spend most of their lives flying in the air. They hunt from the air, diving at prey from above, and land only to rest. They are one of the fastest fliers, capable of extremely high speeds. The webbing at the end of the tail acts as a rudder, allowing them to easily change direction during flight._

"So," she thought to herself outloud. "A magic dragon and an air dragon. I wonder what I should name them."

* * *

 

The next day, she woke to the soft sounds of cracking shell and a melodic cooing. The blue egg finally gave way as the tiny hatchling wiggled in the small puddle that it's egg sat in. She scooped it into her arms, finding the little one hard to hold onto. She tried to reach for her scroll, but found it just out of reach until it floated up and into her hands. She blinked, shocked, until her little magi dragon made a sound in her direction, accompanied by the sensation that had caressed her mind when she had first locked eyes with it. She smiled and made a pleasant noise in it's direction.

"You are so sweet, my little one." She looked at the entry for her new baby.

 **Water Dragon**. _When a water dragon matures, it loses almost all use of its legs as well as its ability to survive on land and enters the water permanently. They are adept swimmers and eat whatever fish are in the lake they live in. They usually stay in the same lake their entire life, although a few live in the ocean and swim all over the world._

"I should find you some water before you grow up, baby," she said to the water dragon.

The magi made it's way into her lap again, wanting to see the new little one and making cute rolling growls. The water dragon made melodic gurgles in return. The noise of the two dragons woke the sky dragon and it began making soft crying sounds, high pitched and woeful.

"Oh, don't cry, now," she said softly, reaching out to pet the winged dragon. The others grew silent and watched as she tried to soothe the upset hatchling. "Shh. Shh. It's okay. It's okay," she said. The water dragon slipped from her grasp toward the nest where the skywing lay and slid around it. The magi dragon retreated further into her lap before making sounds in the other dragon's direction.

Once the sky dragon calmed, she placed the magi on the ground, lifted her pack onto her back and stood. "We are going, little ones." They looked at her, the magi tilting it's head curiously. "To explore and to play and possibly even to hunt, though I worry about you little things hunting, so maybe not yet." She scooped the white egg into her arms and took a few steps toward the cave entrance, waiting to see if they would follow.

The skywing was the first on her heel, the magi stared, and once the water dragon slid over to her, she was certain moving on land would be difficult for it, so she picked it up.

"Come on, magi. Momma doesn't want to leave you," she called out sweetly.

The dragon stared a while longer before the sensation was returned to her head. It was feeling and form this time, clear and yet not solid, but she understood it. It was the same that she had felt the first time. _'Momma,'_ It said.

"Yes, baby. Momma." She smiled at the hatchling. "Now come along." She took a few more steps, pausing only to see that they all followed, then marching on as the two hatchlings played about her feet.

She went to the small pool of water she had found days ago and fished in, letting the little water hatchling free there. It slithered beneath the waves swiftly, darting again to the surface to look out at them. The skywing was trying to flap it's wing and glide beside the water, the magi running along side it. She didn't want to leave them too exposed, but she was anxious to find a larger source of water, not knowing how far such a place would be or how well she could travel with her energetic hatchlings.

Trusting them not to wander too far off when they had each other to occupy them, she picked a tree that looked to have high branches and began to climb. She looked down every few branches she advanced to check on her hatchlings. The water and sky dragons were occupied with their actions of swimming and gliding, but the magi was looking at her, strange eyes glowing with blue light. She didn't know what the tiny dragon was trying, so she tried to hurry along to the top. From the higher branches, she had a good view and could easily make out a large enough source of water. It would take a while to get their, and she decided to wait until her last baby was hatched and got it's bearing a little before attempting the journey.

Before climbing back down, she looked down to check her hatchling. She saw a small flash of light, then suddenly found herself holding an orange glow. The surprise nearly made her lose her grip on the branch, and trying to hold the hatchling suddenly present in her arms and the branch nearly caused her to fall as well. She scrambled to regain her grip.

"That's dangerous!" she began, but in another flash she found herself on the ground. The magi dragon was smiling and growling at her, the sensations that swirled in her mind from it were pleased and happy feelings. She nuzzled it. "Sweet little hatchling," she said.

More sensations and she recognized the feeling that went along with momma before she heard the word in her head. She didn't hear the sound, not exactly, but she knew, without a doubt, that her magi dragon had spoken to her. "Thank you, little one. Thank You."

They stayed there a while longer while she collected food and wood for fire, and her hatchlings played together harmoniously. Her water dragon ate whatever fish that it could snag from the lake, while her skywing pounced on small prey from above, still a little wobbly on it's wings, but trying hard to stay in the air, and her little magi dragon displayed frightening talent with catching it's prey. Small animals it's size would suddenly be caught in an orange glow that would kill or stun the small creature and the hatchling happily pounced on it after it was stopped.

"I guess I don't have to worry too much about feeding you," she said to herself a little shakily. She had to remind herself in that moment that her little ones were dragons. Fierce and powerful creatures that could destroy her and so much more in an instant. It was a little hard to think that as she watched her little hatchlings, but she forced herself to believe it. One day, her little ones would cease to be so little. They would be strong and dangerous and probably even terrifying. They might even hurt her. Really, they could hurt her now just by accident. She had no idea what her magi could do, but it could already kill small animals, and she had seen the teeth on her other dragons, the piercing rows in her water dragons mouth and the cutting things her skywing could display in a smile.

Yes. One day, these things could hurt her, but she hoped that they would not. That's all she could do, because she loved them too much to do otherwise.

Her white egg hatched right when she picked it up to leave, the white hatchling bursting free of the egg with a small cry and looking right into her eyes with it's baby blues.

"Hello, little one," she said, nuzzling it nose to nose. It made a happy sounding squeal. "You just brought your friends a few more hours of playtime."

The white hatchling spent a bit of time laying in her lap before it ran to go play with the others. It was a clumsy hatchling, new to it's legs, but it didn't seem to get any injuries despite that. Her other dragons had tiny cuts or scratches, but not that one. She checked her scroll on her last little one.

 **White Dragon.** _White dragons are pacifists, and specialize in extremely strong healing magic. The only limit of this magic is that it can't bring back the dead. They only eat plants, and never kill living things._

"Well, that's lucky," she mused. "A healer and a fighter, a swimmer and a flyer. All of you are as different as could be, aren't you?"

She kept her eyes trained on the sky as she let her hatchlings play, trying not to take her eyes off of them. Her magi dragon seemed to want to explore and it was hard not letting it go off to far. It didn't always respond to her calls. It heard her, of course, but like most little ones, after a slight pause to debate, it decided to do as it wanted anyway, and she had to sometimes bring it back herself. It made sounds of protest each time, but they only made her smile. She had mischievous little children.

She headed back before the sky began becoming dark. She couldn't protect her babies from the things that lurked in the night and they were too young to protect her. She let all her babies follow her steps, her water dragon sliding along beside her, but before they were even halfway there, she felt it was just too cruel to make a water dragon try to move on land, though she knew that it still could, and scooped the hatchling into her arms. It didn't protest. Far from it, the water dragon settled into her arms and was asleep by the time they reached the cave.

She remade their nest, clearing away the broken pieces of shell and made her water dragon a second nest, leaving a small puddle of water for the dragon to curl up in. It sighed in contentment as she placed it in it's nest and the others ran around a little longer before retreating to their nest, her white hatchling retreating into her arms. She held and cuddled it for a while, but before it fell asleep, she gently placed it with the other hatchlings. It looked at her for just a moment before closing it's eyes and snuggling up to the other little ones in it's nest. She smiled at the sight of her little ones side by side as she curled up to get some rest herself.

* * *

 

The following morning she decided to begin her exploration. She lead her hatchling back to the pond so they could hunt and play while she collected water and food and ate a bit herself.

Before the morning had completely whiled away, they went off. She let her water dragon walk longer than she had yesterday, keeping a close eye on it to judge how long it could go for. Her determination wilted before it did and it was once again scooped up in her arms. Once her hatchlings seemed to get tired, she decided to make a little camp to rest. She made a bowl like depression in the earth for her water hatchling, letting it rest in the little puddle while the others made themselves comfortable on or around her.

It wasn't part of her plan to dose off, but she ended up resting for a while with her little hatchlings. She slept longer than she would have liked, but it was a light sleep and nothing disturbed her, leading her to believe that perhaps they were safe in the area they traveled in. She wouldn't stop looking out, but thinking that she could be a little lax was nice.

They traveled a little further before making camp for the night. Her white dragon sat in her lap nibbling on the closest greenery, her water dragon was in her arms eating fish that she'd collected earlier, and she watched as her sky and magi dragon hunted around for their own food. She felt very happy in this moment, and she hoped that they were happy too.

Heat and panic roused her from her sleep. Something very near her was burning and her hatchlings were crying, panicked, and afraid. She felt around for them quickly as she looked for the source of the burning. Her white hatchling, newly born as it was, seemed the most frightened, trembling as it moved closer to her legs. Her water dragon had already been pulled into her arms and she scanned around for her other two little ones when she saw the intimidating form of another dragon further off in the distance.

It didn't seem to have any inclination toward her, so perhaps the fire had just been a coincidence. Regardless, she began to move away from the thickening smoke, two hatchlings in her arms and two at her feet. Her eyes were constantly darting around, trying to see through the blackness and trying to keep up with her frantic hatchlings. She tripped when a vine tangled around her leg, the impact coming hard due to not having her arms to soften the blow. She looked at the hatchlings in her arms to see they were alright and sighed gratefully that they had not been harmed.

The vine tightened on her leg and pulled her backwards. She released her little ones to get a grip on something, anything, to stop whatever was pulling her. Not too far from her she spotted the bud of a flower peeking out from the ground, only to see it open and reveal rows of teeth and a thunderous roar that identified it to be something other.

 _'Another dragon?'_   She wondered to herself, grabbing hold of roots and plants, digging her hands into the ground in a desperate search for purchase. She tried to use her earth magic to give her a stable purchase, but she was too rattled to focus properly and practiced enough to do her much good. The pulling seemed to be slowed only because the beast had other occupations, other vines pulling more desirable targets to the waiting mouth.

Her magi was inching closer, and she tried to persuade the little one away. "It's not safe here," she whispered desperately. "Please, go back to the others."

The tilt of it's head told her that it understood what she was saying and the response she got, the usual flood of sensation and emotion seemed to be something along the lines of, ' _Help Mama.'_  

"No, baby, take care of yourself and the others," she pleaded.

The little one moved closer still and in a burst of orange light, the vine snapped. The dragon roared, and she was up and making for an escape, craddling her little one. An onslaught of vines assaulted her, grabbing, pulling, tugging as she tried to scrabble away and hold onto her baby dragon. The magi was snapping vines left and right, but there were so many of them and she had no idea how hard it was for him and therefore no idea how long it could be kept up or anything else about it for that matter.

One vine tried to snatch the magi dragon from her grasp, but she held on to that vine with both hands and tore through it with her teeth. It was not an easy task. It was like tearing into flesh and the feeling made her sick to her stomach, but she tore through and the hatchling snapped all the vines currently binding her.

Another group of vines was already half way to grabbing her, but in a burst of orange, she was teleported to her little ones. They all made cries of relief and fear and she gathered them together into her arms tightly. She looked at all her hatchlings, looked her magi in it's large, nearly hypnotic eyes and pleaded, "Send us somewhere safe. Please. Please, somewhere safe where no one else is."

The magi stared at her a long time, head tilted, before it blinked and smiled, making a sound of delight and they teleported in an orange glow.


	2. First Wave (Part II)

Her magi dragon had made her very proud, as proud as she could be. They were alone and safe, where it had teleported her, and near to both a large and small body of water. She cradled her magi in her arms and felt it's strained heartbeat and breathing. It was very tired and had done something very difficult. A cool, yet warm feeling washed over her and she turned to see her white dragon's eyes looking directly into hers. She was slowly feeling rejuvenated, the cuts and bruises she had gained closing and her entire body was healing. Her hand reached out for her white hatchling and it bounded forward so it's head was beneath her palm. She felt so much better, but also so very tired. All she wanted to do was curl up with her babies and close her eyes. She could not, though. She had to find them someplace to sleep. Even if they were alone, being open and exposed did not sit well with her. Even before the fire, she'd had the cover of leaves and wildly growing plants.

She took out her scroll to view the map on the back. It showed the area she was in, though not the path between her current location and her past one. She also saw the strange floral marking of the dragon that had attacked her marked out. Good to know where to stay clear of. She carried her magi and white dragons while the water and skywing trailed behind until she found a small pool of water just outside a cave. It was perfect, just large enough for her water hatchling to swim around in and it dove into it immediately. She placed her hatchlings down and went off to begin her gatherings for a nest. The skywing followed, watching her very curiously and she offered her little one tired smiles full of love, if not energy. After watching for a while, the skywing began to help, plucking leaves much larger than itself and trying to stack them together. She couldn't help but to laugh at the helpful little hatchling as it struggled to help her. "Thank you, little one," she said as she pet it lovingly.

Unsurprisingly, she gathered most of the leaves, but the sky dragon had indeed helped. She carried them back to the cave entrance, then went off to gather sticks and stones. By the time night had come, she'd built and ringed two nest and a fire. The white and magi dragons cuddled together, while the sky and water dragon curled up and the four went to sleep. She was so tired by this point that once she checked the hatchlings were sleep, she put out the fire and was quickly out herself.

* * *

 

It was well into the afternoon that she slept. When she woke, she was at first panicked to find her little ones gone. She scrambled to leave the cave but before her mind became too frantic, a melodic gurgle called out to her. Her water dragon was in the pool. That was one relief. Not far away, she could see the form of her sky dragon, also. The others couldn't be too far, could they? She pet her water dragon gently, sliding her palm over it's slick skin. "Where are the others? Do you know?" She hadn't really expected and answer. And she didn't so much get one in words. It was the feeling of words. Its meaning and intent were clear, but the actual words were not. Her little ones didn't know words exactly yet. She got the idea though, after a little stumbling. They were not too far. She had a feeling that her water hatchling could even still see them. She couldn't, though. She did not have the sight of a dragon.

"Where did you go, babies? Mama's calling!" She yelled out. At the sound of her voice, the two came running, practically tripping over each other. She smiled at them as she lowered herself to ground, nuzzling them both nose to nose. "Do you like it here, little ones?" They responded with eager sounds. "Then this will be our home."

She was cautious, but over the next few weeks, she and her little hatchlings explored the place that they had ended up in and found it to be truly deserted of the dragons that had threatened them. Her little ones seemed to grow very quickly, becoming bigger and stronger and more advanced. She could no longer hold more than one of her hatchlngs at a time and they aided in creating their expanded nest. Her magi became more proficient in magic, her skywing became more steady on it's wings, her white hatchling began to heal cuts and scrapes almost as soon as one of the four got them, whether it was present or not, and the water dragon almost never left the water. She was very happy, but she knew that things would not be able to stay so quite. She wondered if her little ones would be able to protect the place they had chosen.

At two months, she noticed changes in her little ones and by three, their wings began to grow in. Her water dragons fins and tail steadily grew bigger and she moved it into the larger body of water they had already found. Her skywing dragon's back legs began to become wings and it's flying ability increased drastically. Both her Magi and White dragon's magic continued to grow as their wings did, and the next time she checked her scroll, all her little ones genders were recorded as well. Three boys and one girl, the girl being her skywing. "My little family is growing up," she said to herself happily. Her babies had also began to talk to her, more than just her magi. They spoke to her telepathically, though none so clear or so varied as the communication that she had with her magi. He transferred emotion as well as words and they were closer than her other dragons. They no longer hid in caves only, but her babies had nested outside, close to the waters of her water dragon. The Skywing nested high in a tree that was overreaching part of the water, her white and magi dragons nested a little off the bank. Her dragons remained friendly with one another, but she noticed, especially through the bond she had formed with her magi, that they had become protective, even a little territorial, of their nest. Of course, this extended only to the other dragons and not to herself, but she tried to be respectful of them anyhow. She was immensely surprised that things stayed quite so long, and before she knew it, her dragons had become fully matured creatures.

"You babies need names," she said to them one day. She had been considering such a thing for a long time, and she thought that she had finally come up with suitable names. They all peered at her closely and curiously. She took out her scroll and tried out a name for her skywing, but the ink disappeared as she wrote. "That's... odd..." she said to herself. She attempted a different name, pleased when it took to the paper and sunk deeply into the parchment. She looked up to her skywing and said, "I want to call you **Tears in the Breeze**." The dragon made a happy sound that she took as consent. She looked to her magi dragon and said, "You will be, **Emperial Majesty**." Then she looked to the white dragon proclaiming, " **Regal Mercy.** " Last she looked at her water dragon and, after being certain the scroll accepted the name, told him, "And you will be, **Surge of the Typhoon.** " Sounds of content from all her dragons, nuzzling from both **Regal Mercy** and **Emperial Majesty**. "I'm glad that you all like them. Very, very glad."

The peace was not eternal. Others began to find their hideaway, both human and dragon, some with intentions to stay and some not. **Emperial Majesty** was fiercely protective of the land that they had claimed and fought any dragon that did not leave after his giving warning, **Tears in the Breeze** attacked and fought any enemy dragon that she could fend before it arrived, and **Surge of the Typhoon** protected the watery boarders of their land. **Regal Mercy** healed all their wounds entirely, growing extremely protective of her after she got hurt by invading dragons whose purpose was little more that stirring up a fuss. They made a fierce team, but they had claimed a rather large piece of land and she wondered if they could protect it alone. Maybe she shouldn't be trying to protect it alone. She walked as she pondered this, her dragons all hunting somewhere she couldn't see. She could feel the presence of her magi, the aura he radiated that kept most other dragons cautiously away, and she knew that he could feel her. Or at least, he usually could. Sometimes while hunting his senses were not so trained on her.

"Another human?"

She turned sharply at the voice. She had only come across a handful of humans in her time here and none of her interactions had been harmonious. They had either been terrified of her dragons or tried to take them, and even those that came across when they were still hatchlings met foul ends in the face of their thievery. She was cautious as she watched this unknown woman, slightly less so as she saw the tiny hatchlings running around her feet.

"My, my, what a surprise. Not many of those do I see."

She studied the woman before her, not feeling the least bit at ease the longer she looked at her. "Who are you?" She asked.

"You may call me **RDS**." The Woman spoke. "What of yourself?"

"Lola." She answered.

 **RDS** looked around to her hatchlings, who were quickly becoming too excited for their own good. " **Trinset. Tatin'n. Or'ren.** Come here and behave." The hatchlings at her feet ran up to her and halted, looking up with the happiness and excitement she had once recognized from her own hatchlings.

"What are you doing here?" Lola questioned. "This place, it belongs to my dragons and I."

"I'm only passing by. I've no desire to encroach on your territory." **RDS** leaned down and pat one of her little ones. "How long have you been here? Raising dragons?" **RDS** questioned.

"Not long." Lola answered. "I'd scarely call it a year, I think."

 **RDS** reached into the folds of her clothes and took out her scroll, handing it to her. The top of the scroll read **Red Death Stalking** and many dragons were shown. "I've been raising dragons for a while. I've made my home quite a bit further. Do you plan to stay here?"

"I do." Lola answered.

"Then take care. It can be dangerous here. Maybe we'll come across one another again." Then, before her eyes, the woman turned into a beautiful and frightening black dragon. Darkness enveloped she and her hatchlings, before disappearing.

"She did not harm you." The voice in her head belonged to her Magi. "I was worried."

She looked around, knowing that she wouldn't see him, but hoping he'd be somewhere she could catch a glimpse of him anyway. "She... She was a dragon," she thought to him.

"A rare breed of black dragon. Powerful." He responded.

"Can... can you all do that? Become human?" She questioned.

"Not all, but most. If one has magic enough for such a disguise."

She felt the soft, pure aura that radiated from **Regal Mercy** before the dragon appeared to her. He leaned down and nuzzled against her cheek, asking her in her mind, "Is it frightening or desirable?" She wasn't certain what answer to give. She wrapped her arms around the white dragon, holding it close to her. "Would you like to see?" He asked. "Would you like me to be in the form of you?"

She didn't know what answer to give. The thought was intriguing, but she had grown very comfortable around her dragons, despite the overwhelming power that radiated off of them. He did not need her answer, though. It took only a portion of magic and the aura he radiated didn't change in the slightest, even as his form did. She blinked in surprise as she stared into the blue eyes of a now human, **Regal Mercy.** "

Am I to your liking?" She stared at him, the form he created. Extremely pale skin, blue eyes, no hair. She placed her hand on his cheek, feeling the softness of his skin and pressing only slightly harder to feel the hardness of the healers flesh.

"You look... I like it." She said. Then she asked, "Do you?" He moved his limbs a little and walked around her in circle.

"It's unusual, but I could get accustomed to it."

"No need," she told him, wrapping his arms around her. "I like you in either form."

He accompanied her back to their main nesting area still in the form of humans and she held his hand as they walked, marveling at the sight. He still used telepathy to speak, and there was no illusion otherwise, as he did not move his lips. When **RDS** had been speaking to her, she moved her lips in time to her words perfectly. Perhaps it was something to be practiced and didn't come naturally. **Surge** looked at them curiously when they returned and **Tears in the Breeze** circled them admiringly. "Regal Mercy is showing off," she said playfully.

"I asked him to," Lola said. "I didn't know that you all could. How come you never have before?" She questioned.

 **Surge of the Typhoon** moved his tail through the water in a motion that Lola had come to associate with a shrug. "The desire was not there. Such a thing is usually only done in discontent times when one wishes to mingle with humans or with other such needs to be not oneself."

 **Tears in the Breeze** added, "There are stories from others of such things."

Lola sat on the banks to **Surge's** waters and he moved closer to receive her caresses. "What others?" Lola question.

"Those we do not have kill," **Emperial Majesty** answered as he entered the nesting grounds. "Those that pass by only."

"Oh," she said.

"We never felt need. We have never felt need for anything with you looking after us."

She smiled at that and the magi lay beside her. "I was thinking..." she began slowly, pondering out her words. "I was thinking that we might expand our family."

"Expand?" Questioned **Tears in the Breeze** , landing on the bank close to **Surge of the Typhoon**.

"I was thinking that I might get more eggs and add to our family. When I found all of you, there were many other eggs that looked abandoned. I was thinking I could go back..." She looked around to her dragons. **Surge** had moved closer to **Tears** , the two watching her closely. **Regal Mercy** had returned to his dragonic form and both he and **Emperial Majesty** were very quite. Usually, their magic being stronger and more pure than the other two, she always felt something from them, like the slight humming of a psychic bond. She looked from **Regal Mercy** to **Emperial Majesty**. "I only want to if you want to as well," she said.

"They worry they will lose your favor if you find other, better or more powerful, dragons," **Tears in the Breeze** said.

Lola looked surprised at that. "No! Never!" She exclaimed. "That would never happen. Not ever. I'm not looking for more powerful dragons and I don't want to ever replace you. But wouldn't it be nice if we could be a big family? More friends, more allies, more of us to look after each other?"

"I do not want another to have you, either," **Surge** said.

"We are selfish," **Tears** added. "You are ours just as we are yours. Others are other."

"I don't want to force you," Lola said to them. "But you won't lose me if we get additions to our group. We'll all be getting more friends and more family," she said. There was no change in the aura of any of the dragons around her, so it was a surprise when human arms wrapped around her and she was embraced. **Emperial Majesty** was the one to embrace her, holding her tightly. **Surge of the Typhoon** and **Tears in the Breeze** were both out of sight when she looked over to the water. **Regal Mercy** leaned close to her and licked her cheek, then he nuzzled her neck before wandering off.

 **Emperial Majesty** was still holding her tightly, but they had both fallen onto the lush ground beneath them. She felt the flare of his aura as his magic opened a deeper link between them and she almost couldn't feel herself in her body anymore. She allowed herself to relax in her magi dragon's arms, feeling safe and warm wrapped in his magic. "What do humans do when they are fond of each other?" He asked her.

"Hmm. They..." She let her thoughts wander through the answer and could feel through the expanded link that he saw the wanderings of her mind. Once his question was answered, her mind continued to wander on, revealing in the feel of his magic and the closeness they shared. She was taken off guard when he moved close enough to kiss her. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, unsure how to respond. " **EM**..." She whispered, but the dragon pressed a hand to her cheek and leaned closer, deepening the kiss. She relaxed into the kiss, letting him explore her mouth and enjoying the feeling.

I can't look appealing to you," she said. "I'm not a dragon."

"If you were a dragon, I'd take you as my mate," he told her. "I want you always. It doesn't matter that you are not a dragon. If this is all I can have... I will have it."

"It's because of **Regal Mercy** , isn't it?" She asked him. "You would have me as your mate anyway otherwise, wouldn't you?"

After spending a few hours in each others arms, **Emperial Majesty** finally lessened the link of it's extra intensity and said to her, "I will not object if you obtain more dragons."

She leaned close to him and held him tightly. "I appreciate that. But the others..."

"They will not object either. I am certain."

She smiled at him. "You know that none of you will ever be replaced in my heart, don't you?"

"My only hope is that you know your heart as well as you believe."

 **Emperial Majesty** slept before the others returned, once more in his dragonic form and **Regal Mercy** pulled her into his nest for the night. It was not uncommon that one of them would pull her into their nest, **Tears in the Breeze** included. Once, she had even slept on the bank partially cuddled with **Surge of the Typhoon**. This was different, though. **Regal Mercy** was curled protectively around her, holding her to himself as much as he could without harming her. She would have to take care with the next dragons she raised, because somewhere along the way, she made two dragons fall in love with her, and there was little she could do about it. The only resolution this could have, if her dragons did not fall elsewhere, was no resolution as all, because she couldn't think of any action that would make things better than no action at all.


	3. The Second Wave (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lola raises the second wave of dragons and others begin taking note of her and her clansmen.

She couldn't say that she was surprised, but it was unexpected when **Tears in the Breeze** decided to accompany her. She had not gone immediately, a week had gone by since they had given her permission to add to their family, but she had not jumped at the chance. Her skywing had told her that it was because of her aura that she would be the one to escort her and not the others. **Emperial Majesty** , being a magi dragon, had a bright and radiant aura that could be seen from miles away by other dragons and was, in part, why they had yet to see too much trouble. **Regal Mercy's** aura was strong and pure, not necessarily threatening, but definitely not something to be ignored. That left **Surge** and **Tears** , but the water dragon was unwilling to leave the water for such a task. He was not objecting to the idea, but he definitely did not approve. She couldn't tell where the cave would be, her map only showed her places she had already been. **Emperial Majesty** was able to teleport her to the cave that was closest and **Tears in the Breeze** told her that she would be there to look out for her. The magi was not able to teleport the other dragon, but could direct her to the place where Lola would be waiting.

She was a ways away from the cave, likely dropped there for her own protection. When she arrived at the cave after a bit of hiking, she saw another pile of scrolls and went to them first. The first few she saw were blank, but after a while, names appeared on the scrolls along with a dragon listing similar to what both she and **RDS** had, and she wondered if the scrolls belonged to other humans or to dragons. Holding the scrolls, she could read them, but if she moved away from the pile, she discovered that the ink began to disappear and the scroll turned blank. She could look at other scrolls, but it seemed that she couldn't take them. Among the scrolls she found a map and after moving experimentally away, found that she could take it. She slipped it into her bag and went to look around for the pile of abundant, abandoned eggs. It wasn't hard to find. There were more than there had been at the other dragon cave, and that thought made her heart clench. Did others take care of these eggs? Or did they stay there, lonely and unloved until... She had to shake off that train of thought by thinking of **RDS**. She was a dragon and had many dragons in her care that Lola was certain had not been her own children. Even if all these eggs did not end up in the care of someone who would love them, some of them did, and that hope eased her heart.

And today, four of these eggs would be saved also.

Two eggs immediately caught her attention. They were sitting inside the cave, inside an indent in the wall that she would not have likely seen if she had not been looking for it. The first was dark green, sitting in a patch of grass and flowers that impossibly seemed to be growing out of the stone it sat upon, and the second was a grey egg that was surrounded by fog. She reached out for them and pulled them into her arms. Her hand brushed by a red egg that was rather warm and she felt compelled to pull that egg into her arms also. The warmth made her smile and she cradled it to her chest gently. The last egg she picked had multiple bands of color on it, purple then black then grey. Once the four dragon eggs were in her arms, she began moving out of the cave, carefully stepping over the other eggs. She shuddered as she heard a loud roar from inside the cave, putting a pep into her step as she tried to hurry off. She heard growling and other loud sounds near to her, tremors running through her as she felt the powerful flare that signaled magic in the air. When her own dragons used magic, she felt awed and comforted. This unknown magic filled her with fear and she wondered where around her the fighting was happening.

She didn't have to wait long for the answer. A green and orange dragon with a scorched wing flew from the trees a ways away. It made a large arc in the air, distancing itself from its breakthrough point, leading her to believe whatever fire breathing dragon that was on its tail would be her problem any moment, but danger sooner came from the sky. The dragon in the sky spotted her and began to dive at her, but it was knocked off course by a streak of blue that looked like a stream in the sky. "Do not stop now!" **Tears** told her as she danced in the sky with the opposing dragon before charging it. She hurried as quickly as she could, shuddering again when she heard a cry of pain from her skywing. **Tears in the Breeze** looked to have been taking care of that other dragon, so Lola had to assume that the fire breather had caught up. "Don't get in over your head," She said to herself. She had distanced herself from the battle by a wide margin when **Emperial Majesty** had appeared before her. " **Tears**..." She began, but he interrupted her.

"I am aware. That is why I have come," he told her. She moved closer to him and he shielded her with his wings.

"You won't help?"

"She has to fight her own battles. She should make you proud or better perish in your name." With that, he teleported himself, she, and the eggs back to their territory.

She was slightly despairing when they arrived at the place they had made their home. She made a small nest for her new eggs near to her own. Her magi dragon was still hovering near and she turned to him with a question. "What can't you teleport the others?"

"Too much magic," he replied. "Hatchlings and eggs and human have little magic, so there is no conflict. Other dragons, even those that are not very advanced or powerful with their magic, still have enough to conflict with my own. Perhaps if I were more powerful, but I do not believe so."

She nodded, turning her attention to her eggs. She was worried and anxious over her skywing, but she transferred that energy to her eggs. She held and cradled them each for a time, watching as their strange natures permeated the shells. The grey egg had built a fog around it once more that slightly enveloped the others near it, and the strange plants that she had seen around her dark green egg seemed to have begun to grow again after sitting in place for a time. Holding the red egg, she could feel the warmth from it and thought that it grew warmer in her arms. The only egg that seemed not to emit any strangeness was the one with multiple bands. After over an hour of attentively studying her eggs and showering them with attention, **Surge's** tail shoot out of the water and pulled her in. Lola gasped in surprised, breaking free of the waves and looking to her water dragon. She knew how to swim, had been forced to get better at it when a still maturing **Surge of the Typhoon** took up pulling her into the water to swim with him, often without warning. When she looked at him with question and surprise, he began to move his tail through the water, gently making waves. "She will return," he said with certainty. "Relax with me."

"You are so calm, how can you be?" Lola questioned.

"I have seen her in flight, in battle. She is fierce and she will return. Have faith."

It was hours later that **Tears in the Breeze** returned, burned and bitten, but soaring strongly through the air. She landed on the banks, barely avoiding teetering in and **Surge of the Typhoon** was the first one to her. **Regal Mercy** had begun healing her before he fully crossed the distant between them. The pure healing magics increased in intensity once he touched her and in brief seconds of touch, the last of her wounds were mended, her condition restored, and her energy returned. Lola swam toward her sky dragon, but **Surge** had the mind to lift her with his tail and sit her beside the female dragon. He was licking the side of her face lovingly and Lola smiled as she approached, resting her hand on the skywing's head. "You came back to me," Lola said happily.

"Are you unharmed?" The sky dragon questioned.

"Yes. I am fine."

 **Emperial Majesty** made his way to the bank beside the others, wings extended regally. "You protected her well."

"I did as needed to protect my clansmen," she replied.

"My respects to you," the magi dragon said.

 **Tears in the Breeze** drew herself up in pride, then she nuzzled herself against **Surge** in joy.

"We are together again, so shall we look at those that shall soon be our new clansmen?" **Regal Mercy** questioned. Lola smiled happily at the acceptance in his voice and in the faces of her other dragons.

* * *

 

Four days passed before the eggs began to crack, and in that time, Lola's four dragons made it there mission not to allow her to become too enwrapped in them. Lola checked on and fussed with them several times a day and in between she swam with **Surge of the Typhoon** , watched **Emperial Majesty** hunt, was taken flying by **Tears in the Breeze** , and was otherwise in the company of **Regal Mercy**. The white dragon ate at the times that she did and seemed to take equal interest in the soon to be born dragons. The activities that she participated in with the other dragons were not unusual things, but she had not been allowed to fly with **Tears in the Breeze** or hunt with **Emperial Majesty** often due to danger and she gladly took advantage of the allowance.

"Do you like the names that I've given all of you?" she asked **Regal Mercy** as the two sat with the eggs.

"Of course. Why would we not?" He questioned.

"You may have thought them unusual."

"They are not so unusual as the name you have."

"My name is unusual?" She asked.

"In our language, your name is quite stranger than ours."

Lola nodded to this. "On that note... why can you talk to me so well? I think when **EM** was a hatchling he used to talk to me... not like this."

"We learned this language from you. And other dragon passerby that have been among humans."

"In that case, can you teach me?" She asked.

He looked at her surprised. "Teach you?"

"To speak like dragons?"

"I'm not sure you could speak it, it's..." In her mind, she felt something that she had not felt since her four dragons were still hatchlngs. The sensation/feeling that conveyed words without words. Lola's face fell at that.

"I guess that would be difficult to learn."

He smiled at her. "I suspect."

* * *

 

The fifth day she woke to the sound of cracking shell and quickly leaned toward the nest. A yellow eye looked out from a bit of red shell before it's entire head poked out. Lola smiled at the new hatchling and it made a small noise like squeak before she reached out to pick the little one up. "Good morning, baby."

She spent the next two days watching her new hatchling and waiting for the others to come out of thier shells. Every so often her red dragon would shoot puffs of smoke from its nose and she wondered it was trying to breath fire. She checked her scroll to see information on her new addition.

 **Red Dragon**. _Red dragons are similar to typical story book dragons. They shoot flames, can fly, etc. However, they aren't evil creatures as depicted in myths, and won't go around raiding castles, killing knights, or kidnapping princesses. They live in a variety of habitats, from forests to coastlines to abandoned castles, usually in warm climates, and eat whatever living creatures they can find._

Her next dragon hatched during the sixth night. She had slept curled around the nest that her eggs and red hatchling were in, and the little thing seemed to be head butting her. Opening her eyes sleepily, she found herself being scrutinized by red eyes before being head-butted again. "No, no, baby. Time to sleep," she whispered, pulling the little one into her arms. It struggled and tried to squirm out of her hold and she stared down at it for a moment. The hatchling had brightly colored fins along its back, telling her exactly which egg it had come from based on the matching colors. She butted her head softly again the newborn and then touched their noses together. "Behave, now. Listen to momma and I'll sing you a song."

She sang a soft, sleepy melody until the little one in her arms stopped squirming and wiggling about and the two fell fast asleep. She was awakened by her red hatchling pouncing on her head, startling her. The dark dragon in her arms sprung up and pounced on the red one and they tousled away. **Regal Mercy** offered to watch them so that she could rest and she gratefully consented. When she finally awoke later, she checked the scroll once more for her finned hatchling.

 **Dorso Dragon**. _Dorsal dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates._

Her grey egg hatched almost without her notice, covered in fog as it was, but she saw the yellow eyes that looked from the haze and saw her hatchling. She held her hand out towards it, and it inched forward slowly. After cradling it in her arms a while, she noticed that it had become darker and looked to the sky. Dark clouds hung threateningly overhead and she wondered if it would rain or storm. The dark green egg hatched just after her grey egg, the hatchling padding about cautiously. It was a very cute looking baby dragon...except for the dangerous tangle of vines around it. She decided to check her scrolls for the new hatchlings before she touched the other.

 **Gray Dragon.** _Gray dragons are the masters of the skies. They are excellent flyers and land only to rest and eat. In addition, they have full control of the weather. They are very hot-tempered and easily angered. They will attack any human that bothers them, conjuring strong winds and dangerous lightning._

 **Vine Dragon.** _Dark green dragons, once they mature, appear to become an entirely different species. However, this isn't true. Rather, they burrow underground and get nutrients from their vines. These vines are sometimes referred to as Dragon Grass. These dragons are very violent, and will use their vines to capture, kill, and eat anything that moves, as well as nearby plants. Luckily, their range is limited and they cannot use magic. Dark green dragons tend to be easy to spot since they usually kill all plants around them and thus are usually surrounded by a large clearing._

She looked at her dark green hatchling, tentatively reaching an arm out towards it. The vines tangled around her fingers when she pet it, but it was still too small and too weak to do her any harm. "It was one of you, baby. One of your kind almost devoured me once." The little one seemed to like the attention, making tiny pleased squeals. "You will grow up to be a very dangerous dragon."

"It will, you know." **Emperial Majesty's** voice was in her head. "It's kind attacks anything that draws near, that may include us one day."

She frowned at him, then looked back to her little hatchling. "I don't think it will." Lola said quietly. "But if it does not show signs of liking any of us when it is close to maturing, we can releasing it elsewhere. Will that appease you?"

"I am not against it, only worried for you."

"I know... it just makes me sick to think of abandoning one of my hatchlings."

The magi dragon laid itself down beside her, partially as comfort to her and partially as a play offering to the little dragons. They were all quick to climb on or run around the orange dragon and she pet his head comfortingly, bringing him a small amount of calm through the hectic hatchling play.

* * *

 

In the weeks that passed, Lola was very grateful that she would have more dragons soon. Their area seemed to be threatened more frequently than ever before, as if other dragons were just beginning to notice that a large chunk of land had been claimed and such a thing should not go untested. Where before it could be weeks between threatening arrivals, and not all those arrivals needed to be threatening, they most certainly all were now, with startling frequency. Only days after one skirmish would there be another. It certainly seemed to keep them all busy, they seemed to regard the battles highly, as a way of proving their worth to her. They did not need to, in her opinion, but she had learned not to question the pride of a dragon. They seemed to have much of it.

She and **Regal Mercy** were left to look after the little ones and keep them from wandering out into battle. **Tears in the Breeze** had also taken to their watch in her spare time, seeming delighted in the grey and dark green dragon. Lola chose **Surge of the Typhoon** to answer her inquiry one morning. "Why are there so many dragons attacking lately?"

"Mating season was not too long ago. By now the resulting children would be adults venturing out on there own."

"Ah." She said, nodding. "So, how long do you think this will go on?"

"The end may not be in sight. Young ones can be stubborn, they do not quit easily. And not all would have been born at the same time, some may still be coming into their wings."

Lola let out a loud exasperated sigh and fell back onto the ground. "Great."

Her red hatchling pounced on her stomach, puffing smoke in her face. She leaned her face up to look at the tiny, happy dragon. "I do believe you are trying to blow fire at me."

Another puff of smoke was the response.

* * *

 

It seemed that fortune was not in favor of the small clan. The attacks did not let up, the hatchlings were no less a handful, and in the night, Lola disappeared from her nest. The four dragons woke to the cries of distraught hatchlings at finding their mother no where in sight. At first they thought the little ones silly and over attached to their human caretaker, but **Emperial Majesty** quickly brought them to full alert. "She isn't here," he said, the alarm carrying in his mental voice. "I do not sense her."

"What!" **Surge** nearly roared.

"Where would she go?" **Tears** questioned.

 **Regal Mercy** attempted to soothe the upset hatchlings. "She would not go away from us."

"Perhaps we have displeased her?" The skywing suggested.

"She would not go in the night," the water dragon said. "Her heart is not so closed to us."

"She could not face us if she intended to go," the magi argued. "She would be pained to have us watch her leave."

"She did not leave us," the white dragon insisted. "She would not leave after having just chosen to rear up new dragons."

The magi dragon looked hopeful at this logic and the skywing immediately took to the sky. "I will look for her. She could have been hurt," she said as she took off.

"As will I," the magi said.

"No." The white dragon rose, looking steadily at his magi brother. "Someone must protect these lands or she may not have a home to come back to." **Emperial Majesty** looked as if he was debating the matter. "I will look for her alongside **Tears in the Breeze**. See the what she cannot on the ground."

"You'll be hurt," the Magi insisted.

"My hide is not so easily broken and I can heal myself of wounds if needed."

"If I will be busy patrolling this entire area alone..." **Emperial Majesty** trailed off, looking to the still distraught hatchlings.

"I will watch them," **Surge** offered. Before they could make protest or comment, he moved to the bank and shifted into human form. "A day out of water will not be the death of me."

 **Regal Mercy** placed his tail on the water dragon's should as a human would a hand. "My gratitude, brother." **Surge** nodded and the white dragon took off in the opposite direction that their sister had.

"Sense for her," **Surge of the Typhoon** instructed the magi.

"I will and I am." The other replied, going off to keep an eye out for her and for enemies. He hoped that the worst had not befallen her and wondered how this had happened.

* * *

 

Lola was very surprised, to say the least, when she suddenly found herself in the arms of another dragon. And very surprised, again, to find that she was in human arms. It was the aura that gave the dragon away, she felt the magic of the magi dragon before her eyes adjusted to the sudden light enough to see the body that held her. She had learned to recognize the feeling that radiated from magi dragons, distinctive as it was, and that recognition was only strengthened by her closeness to **Emperial Majesty**.

"You may feel disoriented. I have pulled you a long way," the female form told her.

"Why have you pulled me a long way?"

"I asked her to." The form of **RDS** came into view. The woman leaned over her, brushing Lola's hair from her face. "Are you alright? I sometimes worry that **Amarrah** is too rough with her magic."

"I don't know that I should say that I am alright when I have been abducted," Lola said. **Amarrah** placed her on her feet and she looked around. She couldn't tell anything about where she was. She could have been just a jog from her own settlement or in a completely in a different wilderness. "Where am I?"

"I told you that I hoped to see you again," **RDS** replied.

"I thought that meant that you would return to visit me."

"I wander a lot," **RDS** told her. "Wanderlust, you could say. When I found this place though, I thought it was worth hanging around and thought this would make a nice place for us to interact."

"What type of place is this?"

"I know it as **Marius's** settlement, but the humans like to call it  The Silver City. It is a city of dragons and humans."

Lola looked at **RDS**. "Dragons and humans?" She looked around again. "This isn't a city," Lola said.

 **RDS** took her hand and rushed forward. As they ran, she could feel the shadowy magic of the black dragon envelope them. The feeling wasn't unlike the teleporting of magi, but it was still something else entirely. They weren't instantly moved, more like their bodies became melted into the shadows and they rode the wave of magic. They didn't go far before **RDS** stopped them and they were pulled from the shadows, Lola feeling a little unsteady on her feet after the dizzying experience. She could still see where they had been, though it would have been a bit of a walk if they'd gone normally. **Amarrah** was beside them in a second, waving her arms and pushing the foliage away with shocks of orange magic.

There was indeed a city, but she couldn't see much of it yet. What she could see inspired a bit of awe in her. She had not come across such sturdy and well kept keeps, not even in the richer places she had glimpsed. The entire city, every building and shop and house, looked as richly built as a castle might. Strong and well crafted, meant to last, not just to stand as long as it's use held out. Lola took a few steps forward, but stopped before she could enter the stoned walk that was beneath the city. ' _An easy way to keep track of their boundaries,'_  she thought. There were two statues, she first thought, but after examining them a little longer found the resemblance too real to be anything but true dragons. They were completely motionless and colored similar to the stone pave, seated on either side of the walk as if they were guards.

"They do not move?" Lola asked aloud.

" **Unspoken Vigilance** and **Wordless Menace**. They only come alive at night and they watch over the city. **Sidian's darling pet** protects us sea side, though **Sidian** herself is too chaotic to be relied on as proper defense. **Stalking Death** and **Death Stalking** also provide some amount of protection, though one or both off them can disappear in a twig snap." **RDS's** expression looked a little cross as she mentioned the last two.

"Are you not fond of those two? Stalking Death and Death Stalking?"

"They are nothing to me," she responded in an almost haughty air.

 **Amarrah** was the one to offer answer. "Her displeasure is that they are named so very like herself. No two dragons are to have the same name, that it why we who take names record them onto scrolls for remembrance. The magic of the scrolls will not allow two dragons to occupy the same name, but similarities cannot always be avoided. She is simply sour about it."

 **RDS's** expression did not seem to change, so Lola guessed that the magi woman had spoken only to her. Lola looked to **RDS** after long look at the city she was about to enter. "Humans and dragons truly stay here?"

"You can't have doubt about it." **RDS** said. "No human city is ever as fine as this."

"You are right, but... I would not have imaged many dragons and humans to get on well."

"Well, the humans do not so much know that they have fallen into such an allegiance and their are less of them than their are of us. That is what always gives them the advantage in their own city, but **Marius** has seen fit not to allow that disadvantage to happen."

"Who is this **Marius**?"

 **RDS** smiled. "That is what you may see today."

The black dragon lead Lola through the city where, if not for the richness, she would not have thought anything out of the ordinary. There was no feeling of magic once she entered the city, even the aura's that radiated from **RDS** and **Amarrah** seemed repressed. Everyone that she saw was human in form and she couldn't pick out the dragons from the humans by aura alone when she was surrounded by them. She could spot a few of them in comparison to the humans. Dragons always walked more confidently, often wore less expression on their face, but she couldn't be certain.

"How long as this city been?" Lola asked. "

Well, I have only known **Marius** for a few decades or so, but he had already been in the process of building up this establishment," **RDS** answered.

"I have somewhere to be. Do you need me still, mistress?"

"No, no. Go on," **RDS** said. **Amarrah** bowed and disappeared in a quick glow of orange magic. **RDS** took Lola's hand, smiling at her. "First things first, we need to find you more suitable dress. You look a little out of sorts."

"Well, I haven't much..." Lola began.

"You don't need to sound so shamed." The black dragon lead her into a women's shop, watching as she looked around.

"They are so nice and so simple." Lola observed.

"There are fancier things, but I did not imagine you could keep them very well."

"You imagine correctly." Lola said. "These simple things are more than I thought I would get again. I have no money, however--"

"I will take care of it. Only humans have to pay here, we give and get freely among ourselves. This town is made and placed to inspire passersby, not true stay. For humans, anyway."

"I don't know how to pay you for such kindness."

"Your friendship is the payment that I would like," **RDS** said, holding up a dress as blue as the sky toward the other girl. "You are a rarity, Lola. Most humans are terrified of dragons or only want to use them for gain, keep them as pets. I do not know why you have your dragons, but I know that they are not pets and that rises you above most. I am curious to know more about you, human that has forsaken society for dragons."

Lola went to a dressing stall to try on the few simple pieces she had, steeping back out once she had done. Lola's expression was pleased, but downcast as she spoke again to **RDS**. "It is not for noble reasons that I have forsaken society."

"But I doubt your reason were for raising dragons had much to do with that." Lola smiled at her and **RDS** gestured her to the door. "There is more I'd like to get for you."

Before too long, **RDS** had gotten her clothing and supplies and a bag to carry her new things in, which she was especially grateful for, her previous bag being unable to hold anymore. "I cannot stay here too long." Lola said. "My dragons would be dreadfully worried."

"Yes, yes. I only want to introduce you to **Marius** , then you can go. I don't know if you plan to increase your clan, but I make a habit of introducing up coming clans to The Silver City. I feel that clans should be in contact, if they can, and this city has been strong a long time. I want there to be reliance on it, reason to protect it."

Lola gave her friend a sidelong look. "Do you have feeling for this city or for this **Marius**?"

 **RDS** laughed, but she gave no answer either way. The two went into a building at the center of the city, going into one of the inner most chambers and finding three people that looked up at them, two men and one woman. **RDS** walked up to one and put her hand on his shoulder. "This is **Marius**. That is **Sire Nyx** and that is **Queen Ether.** This," the woman indicated her. "Is Lola."

"Hello," Lola said.

 **Sire Nyx** and **Queen Ether** nodded at her, **Marius** smiled. "Welcome to the city."

"She has a dragon clan near the coast," **RDS** explained.

"She's human," **Sire Nyx** stated.

 **RDS** grinned at him. "Yes, she is."

"Then that," **Marius** began, stepping toward her. "Makes her very special." He took her hand and kissed it, giving her a bright smile. "You should bring you dragons along during your next visit. I am curious at why you chose a life with dragons in the wild. Even the few humans that genuinely enjoy, rather than fear, the company of our kind, leaving civilization is often to heavy a burden."

"I've had incentive," Lola answered.

"Well, feel free to return whenever you have need or desire. I'd love to be of help to an up coming clan."

"Actually, I could use help in getting back to my dragons." Lola said, looking at **RDS**. "I was not given an advance invitation."

"So soon," **RDS** frowned. "Stay a few days."

"My dragons do not know where I am, they are likely very concerned. And I have hatchlings that will be missing me."

"New hatchlings!" **RDS** perked up. "So you are going to raise a large clan."

"I do not know that it will be larger than it is now. My meaning is simply that now is not the time for me to be away from my dragons, so if you would not mind, I would much rather have this visit another time."

"I look forward to that next visit," **Marius** said.

"Shall I...?" **Queen Ether** questioned.

"I'll have **Amarrah** do it," **RDS** said. "She knows where to place her."

Lola took the black dragons hands. "The next time you wish my company, I would rather that you come to me or at least send a message."

"If you wish," **RDS** replied.

"I'll take you to her," **Queen Ether** offered.

"Thank you."

The two left in an orange flash.

* * *

 

"So, the human is interesting, but why did you want us to meet?" **Marius** questioned.

"She's raising dragons, that makes her their head, but humans don't last long. When she dies, they should have ties to other dragons," **RDS** explained.

"That's reason to know her dragons, but not to know her," he argued.

"If her dragons are strong, she'll have some decades on her. I would like to know more about this human."

"That is always how the young ones think," **Sire Nyx** commented. "Enjoy brevity while you can, once your years increase, you won't take to humans so easily."

"You aren't so old, how would you know?" **RDS** asked at the same that **Marius** said, "You still associate with humans." The two looked at each for a moment, then together asked, "Exactly how old are you?"

"As old as I need to be," **Sire Nyx** answered, walking out the room.

"That was not telling," **Marius** said.

"That answer is unacceptable!" **RDS** yelled.

* * *

 

When Lola arrived, she was surprised to find a man sitting with her hatchlings and even more surprised, once she got her bearing, to find that that man was **Surge of the Typhoon**. She had never seen him in human form and found that she quite liked how he looked. It was startling. She could almost see him beneath the surface of that form and almost not be able to picture him at all. Then worry set in as she recalled that water dragons could not survive on land. Was he okay? How long had he been out of the water? She had only been standing there a moment and he'd yet to sense her, it seemed. She found herself saying his name without notice. " **Surge?** "

He got up to approach and before she even realized, he had embraced her. He didn't say so, but she could feel from the way that he embraced her that he had been worried, missed her perhaps. Arms still tight around her, he let himself fall over the edge of the bank and into the water. She closed her eyes as she hit the water, still feeling his arms around her for a few moments as she plunged. Then she began to rise and the arms disappeared, and feeling surrounding her was the slippery scales of the water dragon. She took a deep gulp of air when she emerged, preparing to be submerged again just as he rose above the waves, lightly wrapped around her, and dove again, pulling her with him. Since she had begun to spend time with him in the water, which was only after he had begun to mature, she had practiced holding her breath. It came in handy at times like this, when he could only bond with her and express himself beneath the waves. She only had so much endurance, but every second she could give him brought them closer. In the water, she truly felt him, his magic, the transformation of his body. Beautiful above the waves, magnificent beneath. His scales felt almost entirely different to her surrounded by water than they did absorbing oxygen on land, like he was entirely awake.

In his pleasure at seeing her and having her beneath the waves, he forgot to think of her need to breath, and the light press of his scaled body wrapping around her almost prevented her from returning to the surface once she was in dire need. She was able to scramble from his grasp, too light to crush her, but binding all the same, and break to the surface, gasping for air.  
A hand reached for her and she allowed herself to be pulled from the waves and into the hard arms of **Regal Mercy**. Her mind wandered as he embraced her, to how soft he could feel while still having skin harder than stone. It must have been because he was a white dragon, the constant healing magic strengthening and correcting bodily flaws, while naturally being tough enough to be a pacifist. Of course, those thoughts did not explain how he could be so soft. Just the opposite. She rested a hand on his cheek. "How can you feel soft? You aren't."

"Magic," he answered absently. "Where were you?"

"I was given an impromptu invitation. Where are the others?"

" **Tears in the Breeze** was searching for you, **Emperial Majesty** got caught up in fighting," he answered her. Her gaze wondered over to her sleeping hatchlings, curled up together in the nest that had been made for her. He noticed her gaze. "They missed you. They cried for hours."

"I wouldn't have gone if I'd had the choice. I didn't want to leave them... or all of you." He held her tighter, almost hurting her with his grip.

"I worried you'd be hurt."

She smiled faintly, though she was pressed too closely for him to see. "Nothing has happened, though I do have things to tell you all of you."

* * *

 

 **Tears in the Breeze** carried Lola to her nest as she went to rest. Lola didn't spend much time in the sky dragon's nest, so she felt that she must have truly caused a great strain on them all by disappearing. Even though it was not her fault, she felt very bad that she had caused such worry. Worn out from the day of stress and searching, **Tears in the Breeze** was quick in sleeping. When **Emperial Majesty** returned, he promptly teleported her out of the skywing's nest and into his own, resting one wing over her body. **Regal Mercy** laid his tail across the magi dragon, healing his wounds, but the worn out dragon was asleep before the healing was complete. After stroking her hand across his his back for a few minutes to be certain that he soundly slept, she climbed out of his nest and into that of the white dragon's.

"We really fall apart without you," he said to her. "We're so used to your presence, we ran ourselves a little ragged looking for you, expended more energy than we normally do on even simple task."

"I really didn't mean to worry you," she said.

"We all care for you very much. I think we were a little lost."

" **Surge** was watching the hatchlings," she said, looking over to the fitfully sleeping little ones. She wanted to give them all a calming, reassuring touch, but that would most certainly wake them, and excited hatchling would certainly wake the others, so she didn't dare.

"Yes, he was the most calm. I don't think he considered that we may not find you or that you would not be back."

"He's like that," she said to him. "Certain, calm... strong, like the ocean. Like a water dragon, I guess."

"If you had not come back, I am not certain he would have known what to do," **Regal Mercy** told her.

" **Surge** would be fine. He and **Tears** , they'd comfort each other. I think they have their eyes on each other."

"They will not mate until things are more certain. Our territory is always threatened and it still takes all of us to protect it."

"Not for long," she said, gaze on the hatchlings. "Once they have matured, we should all be able to rest easier. And they won't have it so tough, either. Not with the four of you looking out for them."

The white dragon curled up and raised it's wing, letting her make herself comfortable beside him before covering her with it like a blanket. "Soon, we can all rest easy. That's all that I would really like."

"It would be relaxing, but I enjoy things as they are, also."


	4. The Second Wave (Part II)

The hatchlings were ecstatic as they crowded around Lola the next morning and she moved to her own nest so that they could all more easily stay near her. Her vine hatchling nestled itself between her legs, it's vines tangling around her limbs purposely, as if it thought she would disappear again without its hold. The red and grey hatchling interchangeably raced around her and sat in her lap and pounced on her so that they could try and give her their dragon kisses, while the dorso made itself comfortable at her side, content in having her back. This excitement kept up nearly the entire morning before they were able to part from her, even a short distance, to go play, still constantly running back to her to be certain that she had not disappeared.

In between hatchling controlling and comforting, she informed her dragons of the Silver City and her abduction of the previous night. She took out her map to check it's location, seeing it surrounded by the emptiness of the rest of parchment, as often happened if she teleported to a place. She decided to mark it with her pen, the ink curling over the location of it's own volition and sinking in as it did when she named her hatchlings. She also, with the help of her dragons that had claimed and combed out the exact borders of their land, marked that on her map as well. They had fought thus far, not just for their territory, but the area around it, not wanting any others too close, but eventually, especially when another wave of newly matured dragons passed by after the next mating season, they would have to surrender that luxury for only what was theirs. And that land wasn't just what they had chosen to live on, but what they had decided to fight for. It was an area much larger than four dragons needed, much larger than four dragons could protect under assault, but she was hoping that it wouldn't be just four dragons after a while. She was hoping, not just that the hatchling she was rearing up now would want to stay with her, but that others could be apart of her family as well. With that in mind, and it was not a desire that she kept secret from them, they marked out, not just the land that they were claiming, but the land that they would sacrifice if they did not gain more power, and the land they would fight for if they ever wanted expanding. If serious attack came, they would have a lot of proving themselves to do for so much space.

Attack did not come. At least, none more than what was already underfoot. Her dragons were all horribly anxious. They all wanted to go to Silver City, to carve out a path to it in case she was taken again, but they were all afraid to leave. Leaving their territory, even just one of them, would leave them very vulnerable. Without **Surge of the Typhoon** , the sea was an open path for many water dwelling dragons that had not attacked simply for the waiting of his departure. **Emperial Majesty** was a strong and major force in their defenses and it would be unwise to sacrifice him. **Tears in the Breeze** had the best eye out for those that approached skyward, and though **Emperial Majesty** was strong, attacks from above would leave him disadvantaged. He could take flight, fight while airborne, but it was not his strength or specialty. Such combat had most often been left to his skywing comrade and he was content to leave it that way.

Thinking these thoughts, she could see how close they all were, how reliant they had all become on each other. While she had been sitting around in camp, they had become comrades and allies and blood brothers, knowing and playing to each others strengths and defending each other weaknesses. Even **Regal Mercy** had aided them, and not just in healing, which they required less often as they became better and more powerful. He was a pacifist and absolutely refused to fight, but that did not mean he refused to partake in battle. Many times she had seen him take blows in the stead of the other dragons, a shield and a partner, taking the eyes of the enemy onto himself so that whomever fought could land an unseen blow. She was envious of him more than any of her other dragons. Wanting to be like **Surge of the Typhoon** or **Tears in the Breeze** or **Emperial Majesty** was just wanting to be special and powerful, a fantasy that all have from time to time. Her desire to match **Regal Mercy** was a desperate longing to be useful, to have worth equal to one who refused to fight, but could still hold his own in a battle. A small task that she could not ever accomplish. She could not even be near a battle, she was such a weakness. Dragon strength was not something she had any illusion of being able to parry.

She resigned herself to what she could do, which wasn't much. Raising their spirits and calming their nerves about their far off trip to The Silver City, being their companion, as she knew she truly was to each of them, and watching the little ones as they grew. Her vine dragon slowly became more rough in demeanor, the dorso more soft and prissy, while her red and grey dragons stayed largely the same. She watched them very closely, finding that their behavior did not change towards her, only each other. This held true even after they got their wings.

Her grey dragon, as soon as it had gotten it's wings, took to the sky easily and quickly and could scarcely be persuaded back on the ground. **Tears in the Breeze** took her under her wing easily, and the dark clouds that had loomed since it's hatching, finally began to take thunderous action. Rain and storms, winds, and rolling clouds that played with the showing of sunlight became their fate for the first few weeks. At first, the area of effect was very sporadic, then it began move to above the sea and stayed away from the area of their nesting, before more stably wreaking it's havoc on the outskirts of their territory. Lola decided, the day the grey female made her nest high in trees like **Tears in the Breeze** , to name the dragon **Rage of the Sky**.

The dorso had taken to singing after Lola sung lullabies to them all and she had made melodic sounds of her own in an attempt to join in. She had a very alluring voice that she enjoyed using to attract and distract the other hatchlings. Her behavior didn't change upon getting her wings, except that her delight in the other hatchlings increased. She showed her favoritism, though, in her play with the vine dragon. She also got in over her head often and Lola had to rescue the troublesome dragon on more than one occasion, grateful that the vine dragon felt strongly enough for her that he did not wish her harm. Lola decided to give the dorso a more human name, as she reminded Lola of the girls she had been associated with once--haughty and teasing and bound to be more trouble than one normally expected, so the dorso ended up with the name **Miranda**.

The vine dragon, in it's maturation, was surrounded by even more vines than before and Lola, at first, wondered what was happening. After consulting her scroll, however, she recalled that her dragon would be an underground predator. She talked to her vine dragon first, to see if he wanted to stay with them. Unlike her other dragons, it was imperative to know whether he wanted to stay with them all or not. The others would not be tethered to the land, as he would be, and she thought to know early if he wished to be part of them or fade into being a stranger. He seemed to react defensively and aggressively towards the others as time went by, but he admitted to her, once the other were asleep, that he wanted to stay. He didn't want her original four to know that he cared and respected them as he did, wanted more independence from the group than any of the other seemed to want, and she wondered if that was because he would ultimately have less of it once he burrowed beneath ground. It was his nature to be a predator, perhaps more strongly than it was the others, and that aspect of him seemed to increase as he matured. After talking to him and the other four, they picked an area at the outskirts of their land for him and he agreed to protect it. Not just because he would not tolerate trespass, but because he wanted them to be safe also. Her name to him was her personal joke to others, and he seemed not to object, so she wrote his name as **Beneath You it Devours**. He stayed particularly close to her side in the days before he decided to go to his underground nesting and she made him promise not to eat her when she visited him. Unlike her other dragons, whom she new she would see much more often, his maturation was terribly sad for her and she mourned it greatly.

Her red dragon was simpler than the other four of the her group. She began to breathe fire around the same time that she got her wings, something that she took great delight in. She began a few very dangerous fires at first that were luckily stopped by the wild weather changes brought on by **Rage of the Sky** and also by the water magic that **Surge of the Typhoon** demonstrated that he could wield, harshly and forcefully, to keep the red dragon in line. She was eagerly put to use in protecting the land they claimed, fighting off anyone that intruded on them forcefully. While the other four were still mostly child-like and playful, even **Beneath You it Devours** until his nesting, she was very willing to fight to protect them. She was more simple and single minded than the others. After accepting and understanding that they were her family, she became very eager to protect them and her home. Lola named her **Amazoness** , after seeing her fierceness in battle and her strength. The worries that Lola had about them becoming family and staying together were soothed during the months of their maturing and the now eight dragons became as much family as the previous four. 

* * *

 

Before and during the time that her hatchlings had grown their wings, inspired by the Silver City, she thought to fashion more protection for herself than the nest she had constructed. She created something of a hut for herself, with her dragons help, forgoing the cave that she had occasionally used when rain or other harsh weather plagued them. While the cave did make her feel more protected and offered more cover, she couldn't stand being so far from her dragons and the cave felt oppressive to be in too long. As long as her dragons were not there, anyhow. She attempted to make similar structures for her dragons, but they were much less interested in such a thing and it was mostly dropped before too long. She kept her nest by the banks, but made her shelter farther from the other dragons than her nest. **Miranda** seemed to prefer being near to the water or near to the vine dragon, but didn't make herself useful otherwise. Her first four considered the dorso something of a child, just as playful as she was as a hatchling, but they didn't mind it as she ran around doing just about anything she wanted. Once **Rage in the Sky** got the hang of her magic, she used the weather to ward off other dragons in the area around their lands.

Lola was losing track of how much time she had spent away from other people. Three years by now, she thought, going on four. Three years before all of her dragons felt truly safe, secure, and happy. The attacks had already begun to lessen by the time her second wave had truly matured, but once **Rage of the Sky** and **Amazoness** begun aiding them, not to mention the unlucky who stumbled upon her vine dragon, they all were truly at ease. No longer stretched so thin, as they had been before.  **Tears in the Breeze** was the one that first journeyed to the  Silver City. She was gone four days, not all of which were spent in journey, and seemed very pleased when she returned. Using the information that she provided, **Surge of the Typhoon** made a quick two day journey, followed by **Emperial Majesty's** quick teleportation. It was an easy, though admitted tense, two weeks. They had never been away from each other and they found that, without worry of attack, even the separation made them closer. Lola realized once more that she had been very lucky with her first set of eggs and not just because they had grown to like her so. She knew that she would have gotten into different circumstances if she'd had different dragons, but she truly felt that having a sky dragon, water dragon, magic dragon, and healing dragon had been the best lot she could have possible drawn.

True fortune came from tragedy, she had been told once. At the time, she was very bitter about the statement, thinking that it was just something said to her to belie the the fate that they were forcing on her. Now she believed it. Misfortune brought her to the dragon caves and fortune had kissed her hand while she was there.

It was an absolutely wonderful thing to see all her dragons happy, to have things so peaceful, but she felt increasingly ill at ease. Not because she thought or felt that anything would go wrong, but because she realized that there was nothing else for her. Raising hatchlings had been exciting and unknown, trying to bring her small dragon clan together and struggling to get a hold of the land they claimed was fulfilling. Now, though, they didn't need her. She was just a human among dragons now. They didn't need her direction to hold things together, no longer needed her example to be close, and she felt... lost, watching them move together without her. **Rage of the Sky** almost never came down from the storms in the skies and **Tears in the Breeze** was often right there with her.  **Surge of the Typhoon** was absorbed in the sea, her vine dragon firmly in the ground, and **Emperial Majesty** had become mentor and caretaker of **Amazoness** , keeping her from becoming too zealous in her fierce protection of their land, and her dorso dragon spent the majority of her time bothering **Beneath You it Devours**.

She spent a lot of time wandering the grounds they laid claim to. She knew how much land they had chosen and had walked it's perimeter many times, but she had not truly explored it, so that was where her time went. For her, the land they covered was especially tremendous, but it was not so overwhelmingly large to her dragons, however. They did surpass her in size by quite a large margin. On occasion, she got turned around in the denser parts of their land and one of her dragons, **Tears in the Breeze** or **Emperial Majesty** usually, lead her out of the thickets. With nothing else to do, memorizing the grounds seemed suddenly very important to her. Her scroll mapped out the land she traveled, but she found that direct traverse made navigation easier and even began to explore outside their bounds and perimeter. Her magi objected to her being out alone, but she objected to his letting her be too much of a distraction, leaving **Regal Mercy** to be her companion, which served her just fine.

The white dragon was very good company and seemed to understand her desire and need for information that they could learn much easier than she. Their exploring became rapidly avid and they expanded the distance from their land that they went, sometimes running into trouble and sometimes not. **Regal Mercy** never allowed her to get hurt and **Emperial Majesty** was always ready to come to her aid. At times, she couldn't be certain whether he was sensing her or the white dragon actually called for his assistance. Once, after a particularly close situation far from their home, she returned to the banks only to be drenched by a splash from **Surge of the Typhoon**. "You are becoming reckless. The both of you," he scolded.

"I'm all wet," she complained.

"That is your scolding," he told her. "Be more careful."

* * *

 

Lola was not more careful. She meant to be, but she had become excited in her exploring. Too excited to remember to keep an escort with her. That being the case, she was caught completely unprepared when she was scorched by the heat wave of a stream of fire. She was knocked to the side, feeling the heat assaulting her skin viciously. The flames themselves not close enough to actually touch her, but the heat itself doing enough damage on it's own. Mentally, she called out for her magi, hoping that he could hear her or sense her or know that she was hurt however he usually did. Moving herself into a sitting position, she could see the dragon that the attack was directed at; a pink tinted dragon that glowed golden in the light and a purple dragon behind it, but they were saved by a white dragon that jumped in the path of the two. The fire proved to be more than even the body of a white dragon could handle, however, as it fell limp onto the ground a beat before the attack ended, causing it's companions to be bruised by the left over flames. The pink and gold dragon launched itself quickly at it's aggressor, a roughed scaled red and orange dragon who roared in ferocious fury. The purple dragon was leaning over it's white companion worriedly and Lola suspected that the dragon would not be coming back from such an attack if it wasn't healed soon. The purple dragon seemed not much better, lightly scorched and cut up in various places. She looked up to check the two dragons fighting in the sky to see the shining dragon falling from the sky toward her. She forced herself up and tried to fling herself out the way, but was slapped by the dragons tail as it hit the earth and slid across the ground, kicking up a layer of dirt around her.

Lola was in agony. First the light burning from the heat of the flames and now being knocked nearly into a tree by the weight of a dragon. Well, only the dragon's tail, but it was certainly enough. She felt stunned for a long time before she could move even just her head, which seemed to pound in protest. She couldn't see much of anything clearly, let alone the fast moving shapes of dragons. She could see a mass of purple on the ground and knew that she was about to have a very unpleasant experience along with these dragons. A stream of fire came their way and the pink and gold dragon moved itself to protect her from the flames, crying out in agony as the flames hit home and another wave of heat, less powerful than the one she'd been hit with earlier, washed over her. The fire seemed to cut off abruptly and she could feel the peculiar aura that radiated from her magi behind her. She had never heard one of her dragons roar before, but the sound that came from her magi as he charged could not be anything but. Bolts of orange magic assaulted the other dragon, and **Emperial Majesty** barreled into it with a hard tackle that looked to be backed up with magical force. She couldn't watch her dragon so engaged in the fierce battle. Keeping up with those movements was proving to be too much. Instead, she directed her attention towards the dragon that saved her. It was heard to look directly at it from so close a distance, as it flared golden light whenever sunlight struck it's skin, but she tried to anyway. She was able to whisper to the dragon, "You saved me. Thank You." But there was no reply.

Lola didn't know the fate of the opposing dragon, but she felt **Emperial Majesty** when he returned to her side and carefully lifted her up. She felt his magic connecting to her and she thought to him, "Don't leave them. One of them saved me." He had already teleported back to her nest, holding her carefully as **Regal Mercy** began to heal her. The pure magic of the white dragon was an immense relief to her and as he was healing her, **Emperial Majesty** replied, "We don't know them. They could mean us harm."

"You can fight them off if they do, but please don't leave them," she begged mentally. She still felt too weak to speak properly, but that had never been a problem with her magi dragon. He heard her no matter how she spoke to him.

" **Tears** and **Sky** will go after them and once you are healed, **Regal** shall go as well."

"Will you..." she began, but he cut her off.

"I will stay by you."

"You will be the fastest." She could feel how much he did not like this plan through their deepened connection, but he did not argue her. She was nearly healed, now. He lay her gently in her nest and teleported off, leaving the link between them open for her to still feel him. It comforted her and she let her mind wander through the events that she had witnessed in the hopes of recounting it to him as well. She wasn't certain as to her success, because between the soothing magic of the healing, her fatigue from being injured, and the calm that her magi tried to instill in her, she found herself asleep before she could really become fully aware.

When she woke, she found herself in her nest with her skywing around her. Looking around, she could see **Surge's** intense gaze on her. "You wake," he stated to her. "We worried."

Tears moved her body to help Lola slip into a sitting position, keeping her body behind the exhausted girl. "Where is..." she began, trying to shake off her tiredness. **Tears** was the one to answer. " **Emperial Majesty** and **Regal Mercy** are looking after those... others... **Rage of the Sky** and **Amazoness** have taken up patrol."

"Are you well?" The water dragon questioned.

"I feel... fine," she answered, moving her arms tentatively as if expecting to feel some pain or lingering signs of damage. She didn't though. She was perfectly healed. "How are they? The other dragons?"

" **Regal Mercy** healed them, but they had not awakened last I checked. If you wish to go to them, I will take you," **Tears** told her.

"Thank You," Lola said. **Tears** glided around her, moving into a position that allowed Lola to easily climb onto her back. **Surge** caught her eye before the two took off, his expression very serious and severe, more than it usually was. "Be careful."

She felt an influx of guilt at his words and how much she must have worried him. "Forgive me," she whispered.

He nodded. "Just be careful."

She nodded in return. This time she would be more cautious. She couldn't allow herself to get into such a situation again. She couldn't do such a thing to her dragons again if she could help it.

* * *

 

 **Tears** flew to one of the further out spots in their territory where the injured dragons rested in the open area. She remembered that she didn't know what type of dragons that they were and wondered belatedly if she could get information from her scroll on dragons that were not her own. The dragon that had saved her was lying under the shade of a few trees, reducing the amount of gold that shimmered across her skin, while the white and purple dragons seemed to be awake, but not very energetic. The white dragon looked as if it could not move and **Regal Mercy** was close beside it. _'Is he still healing?'_ She wondered. The Purple simply looked to be resting.  **Tears** let Lola off her back a few feet away from the other dragons and **Emperial Majesty** moved towards her before she could approach the unknown dragons.

"How are they?" Lola asked.

"Weary," the magi answered.

"Did they say why they were attacked? What they were doing?"

"A retrieval mission for their Kingdom, only something went awry and they became attacked." Lola made to move toward the dragons, but her magi stepped in her way. "Caution," he warned. Lola frowned, but didn't argue.

Lola looked to the purple dragon, as it seemed to be in the best condition, and posed her questions. "My name is Lola. Who would you be?"

"I am known as Lady Izayoi." The dragon seemed very hesitant of Lola and she couldn't be blamed after having been in an attack. Still, she persisted with questions.

"What happened? Why were you attacked? And who are your companions?"

"They have no names. In my Kingdom, we are known only for what purpose we can serve. I was born from the dragon **Erudell** , who harvest information for our Kingdom and was born not within it. I was on a mission to earn my worth and keep in the Kingdom and they were to accompany me to the same end, but we came under fire."

"Is your kingdom far?"

"Yes."

"They were attacked by a hellfire wyvern," her magi supplied. "They are vicious and foul, they attack with the smallest of provocation."

"What kind of dragons are you all? I've only seen one of you before." Lola said, indicating the white dragon.

"Purple and sungsong."

It wasn't hard for Lola to guess which was which. "You need to rest, so why don't you rest with us?" She could feel **Emperial Majesty's** disapproval of the idea, but he was not surprised. He knew she would do such a thing.

"Why would you offer us asylum?" The purple dragon questioned distrustfully, looking not at Lola, but at her white and magi dragons.

"They may not," Lola said, bringing the attention back to herself. "But I do."

"You are a human," the Purple responded, not unkindly.

"These dragons are mine," she said. "We have claim over this land. Is that hard for you to grasp?"

The purple did not answer, but the white dragon did. "Our Kingdom is a matriarchy, it is not common for her to have male dragons above her such as your magi seems to want, and you are a human. It is not common for you to have power of any sort."

"This is not your kingdom," Lola said. "And I have the most power here. I raised these dragons and they are mine, just as I am theirs. They would destroy anything thing that brought harm to me. I can allow you to stay here to rest and further recover, but they will tear into you if you bring harm to me and I won't be able to stop them. These three are not all that have claim here with me."

They were all silent for a time, before the Sungsong wearily raised it's head. "Something cannot come from nothing."

"You are right," Lola said. "You saved my life. That is something."

"Your dragons saved ours," the white dragon replied. "We have scrolls... we will share them with you for your generosity."

"A deal then," Lola said. Then she looked to **Emperial Majesty**. "Can I leave it to you to find them shelter?"

The magi nodded, looking pleased. If they had to stay, at least he could place them in a controlled area. He said to her, "I will open one of the caves," before disappearing in a glow of orange magic.

Lola turned to the others again. "Let's try to get along, if we can. We have food to share and shelter to offer and I don't think there is any reason to be hostile."

" **Emperial Majesty** would have left you to your fate if not for her," **Regal Mercy** said, speaking for the first time. "Her opinion holds great weight among us, but so does her safety. We will give you a chance on her word and at her behest, but if you harm her, our clan will not take such a thing as anything less than a declaration of war."

"It is faulty to base yourselves around a human," the purple dragon said. "Once she dies, then where will you be?"

"I don't think that is for you to worry about. I am not dead and I will not die for many years to come. When I am gone, they have each other and our home left to them. That is not nothing. Whatever Kingdom you hail from has made you hardened, but we are not there. We are not soldiers and we are not power seekers. My family here is just that, so whatever you think of our ways maters little."

"You should be careful, **Lady Izayoi,** " **Tears in the Breeze** said to her. " **Emperial Majesty** does not like outsiders nor does he take kindly to those that insult one of our own. Our lady is kind, but she cannot protect you should he decide that you are inconsolable to us." With those words, the skywing curled loosely around Lola, demonstration her own affection for he human.

Lola smiled at the protectiveness of the dragons, but hoped that no harm would have to be brought to anyone. She wanted to show kindness to the dragons that she had seen injured right before her eyes. To the companions of the one that saved her. _'Let's hope for the best,'_  she thought, as it was really all she could do.

* * *

 

Housing their visitors was not so hectic as **Emperial Majesty** had expected and for that Lola was grateful. He stuck to her side constantly, but she wasn't bothered by it. He was possessive of her, as all her dragons were, he just showed it more openly. Had **Surge of the Typhoon** not been confined to the water, he would have been constantly at her side as well. She talked with their visitors in the cave that her magi had opened up further to house them. There had been enough room before for the dragons to fit comfortably within, but it was even more carved out after he'd gotten a hold to it. Spacious, even. The sungsong and white dragon were friendly, but the purple dragon remained more reserved than the other two, and the white dragon seemed distantly polite. It was better than Lola had truly expected, however, and she was happy when they agreed to stay longer than a night. Even though **Regal Mercy** had healed them all, and their own white dragon could keep them in good health, Lola was worried about their general exhaustion. The three female dragons loosened up eventually, but still seemed cautious.

The sungsong took to the sky when the sun was at it's highest, streaking goldenly above their land. **Tears in the Breeze** had taken up boarder patrol with **Amazoness** and a section of the land was always protected by the lurking of **Beneath You It Devours**. The dorso even helped, in her own way, finding those that were on the verge on encroaching near, but out of range, of the vine dragon's territory and luring them in for him to prey upon. That didn't make her any less prey if she wasn't careful, but **Miranda** remained able to stay just on the right side of safe. **Rage in the Sky** , in between her own boarder patrols, was company to the sungsong and the two seemed to get on quite well.

The two white dragons got on very well and Lola enjoyed being in their presence as they spoke to one another. **Regal Mercy** seemed very interested in pouring over the scrolls that the other white dragon had obtained and Lola made certain to be right beside him each time, reading over his shoulder when she could and having him read for her when she could not. She also listened as the two got into very avid discussions over the scrolls contents, theories in magic or procedural spells, legends and myths, and she was surprised to find that her dragon was something of a scholar. **Emperial Majesty** took interest as well, though not as much as **Regal Mercy**. During the nights or when he was otherwise alone, she would catch him pouring over the scrolls. Unlike the white dragon, she suspected his study was with the intent to memorize or to use and not simply the knowing.

Her water dragon, having the hard demeanor that he did, was able to get **Lady Izayoi** into a conversation or two about her own home and when Lola was around to hear their talking, she realized how deprived her dragons would be. There was knowledge that they were missing, same as her, by being so isolated from others. They had told her that dragons that passed their land, those not hostile, had shared pieces of information to them, and these dragons were doing the same. She began to grow an even greater admiration for the  Silver City, that had resources and dragons aplenty and no short of people in and out that exchanged information readily, not even thinking about how much difference they could make with their few words. The thoughts began to make her nostalgic for society, even if the one that she had been involved with was lost to her.

One day, she ventured to ask, "How does your Kingdom take to visitors?"

"There is no certain answer, many things factor into the circumstance, but it is not usually an all together a friendly reception. Most especially if one comes without invitation. **The Queen** is very hostile to intruders," **Lady Izayoi** answered.

"It seems like a harsh place."

"Strict," the purple dragon corrected.

"And why don't your companions have names?" Lola persisted.

"In the Kingdom, one is known by the place they hold and purpose they serve. Without having an established purpose, you have no identity. A name... A title must be earned. I was... a special case, born not within the Kingdom. That is why I am on this mission the same as them. A trial, if you will. Success allows us to earn a place within the Kingdom, failure plants us as unworthy."

Lola contemplated that for a moment before speaking further. "I wouldn't object... if you wished to stay a bit longer here."

"We should not. Our mission..."

"Yes..." Lola trailed off. "If you think that it is worth it."

The three dragons stayed just over a week before deciding to take their departure and Lola took the three completely off guard when she asked, the night before their departure, "May I accompany you?" None of them were prepared for such a proposal. Her own dragons were not so blinded sided, though. She had already discussed with them her desire and they had approved it. Hesitantly and not without conditions, but approval was approval.

"I do not believe that you would be taken warmly into our Kingdom," the white dragon said.

"I know. I have no intention of entering your kingdom, only of making the journey with you. I was becoming a bit... or rather, I'd very much like the chance to... explore, a bit. Accompanying you gives us a bit more time to know one another and a path for my exploration. Is it too troublesome?"

Before the other two could speak, the purple dragon interjected. "We could not protect you."

"Emperial Majesty will protect me."

The purple dragon's gaze radiated disapproval.

"I do not think the Kingdom would take to us kindly if they thought that we needed the support of a male," the sunsong said.

"Then my grey dragon instead, **Rage of the Sky**." Lola offered. "She's been wanting to branch out a little."

The white dragon looked to her purple companion. "We need not object if it causes us no hindrance."

"If you are not a hindrance, then we will not object, but please do not rely upon us to protect you," The purple dragon urged.

"That is fine."

The purple dragon left after that, off to the cave that was her temporary lodging.

Lola smiled slightly. **Emperial Majesty** would be disappointed, but she had already thought that they would reject him and asked her grey dragon if she wished to come. The girl had been very enthusiastic to the idea and Lola knew that the dragon had been restless just as she was. **Miranda** , **Beneath** , **Amazoness** , they were all completely content; **Surge** and **Tears** roamed the air and sea completely freely and to their own discretion's; **Emperial Majesty** and **Regal Mercy** had their stocks in her and her happiness mostly, but she knew that the white dragon had been uneasy like she and now they both knew why-- he craved knowledge. Something she intended to get for him, if she could. Her grey dragon was very tethered to their home, protecting the perimeter with her wrath and weather, and therefore bound by proximity. She would truly appreciate this. And in a way, Lola was fond of this option. She was wary to having her first wave away from her home. **Tears** and **Surge** were no less amazing than her magi, but they had restrictions. Her skywing was so soft hearted and even tempered that she worried about leaving such a benevolent dragon. She was certainly fierce in battle, but Lola would still be worried. And **Surge** , Lola would trust her water dragon to completely hold to and protect and guide their home, were he only not bound by water. If he weren't bound by water, she may just believe him more competent than her magi, despite the latter being more powerful. **Emperial Majesty** , especially where she was concerned, could be quite emotional at times. **Regal Mercy** was fit to hold down the fort as well, but being a pacifist would not protect them.

No, all four would be better off staying. **Surge of the Typhoon** was the reason that her magi sometimes lacked, but the latter had powerful magic for his mobility. **Regal Mercy** seemed to understand most things and was very reasonable, and **Tears** could fight to protect those she loved, but was perhaps too kind to understand all that needed to be done. Those four would take care of things, and even though it had not been explicitly discussed, the four of them knew **Emperial Majesty** and **Regal Mercy** would be the ones truly in charge if needed. They balanced each other.

And that was something she had been thinking about. First with the Silver City and now with this. Their home could be so much more. She wasn't quite thinking of beginning a nation, but she had talked it over with the others for a few renovations and changes to be made. Things that could make their home feel more like... a society, perhaps, or at least make it more civilized. She was beginning to understand how much she missed such things.

"Hey," she called to the white and sungsong dragons before they retired for the night. "I don't want to be presumptuous here but... may I... give you a name?" The two dragons looked stunned and she hurried on to explain. "Just something that I can call you while we are together, you don't have to acknowledge it at all later if you don't want. I won't write it anywhere."

"You think... we should be named?" The white dragon questioned slowly.

"Well, yes. I don't think anyone should have to be without a name. Even if you have yet to find your place in the world, you are still somebody."

Both dragons seemed very touched by the sentiment, but it didn't quite show when the sungsong asked, "What do you wish to call us?"

"Well, I was thinking... the way you flash through the sky..." Her eyes were on the sunsong, " **Lightning of the Sky**. You move like a streak of power... I thought it appropriate."

"I... yes, you may call me such," the sungsong agreed.

"And you," she turned to the white dragon. "Talking to **Regal Mercy** and I, and being as kind as you were, you really opened our eyes to things that were weren't aware we felt. Since you helped us so much, I was thinking of calling you, **Touch of Salvation**."

The white dragon was surprised. "Such a strong name... you think so much of us?"

"Yes," Lola answered.

"I do not object," the white dragon said.

Lola smiled. "Well, then, I am very honored to know you, **Touch of Salvation.** **Lightning of the Sky.** "

The next morning when they were to leave, Lola was surprised to find the Sungsong dragon was in a human form beside her dragonic companions. She was greeted very enthusiastically and they didn't dawdle in leaving. She had already spent the night saying farewell to her dragons and she didn't want to further slow the group. **Rage in the Sky** flew around her comfortingly a few moments, telling her that she would look over her, and at Lola's smiled, the dragon disappeared completely behind the clouds.


	5. Glossary

**Dragon Types**

**Magi Dragon**. _Magi dragons are, as their names suggest, primarily magic users. They rarely use physical forms of attack. They eat anything they can kill, which is generally everything. They won't kill unprovoked except when hunting, although they may kill humans if in danger. Their strong magic makes them one of the most feared breeds of dragons._

 **Skywing Dragon**. _Skywing dragons spend most of their lives flying in the air. They hunt from the air, diving at prey from above, and land only to rest. They are one of the fastest fliers, capable of extremely high speeds. The webbing at the end of the tail acts as a rudder, allowing them to easily change direction during flight._

 **Water Dragon.** _When a water dragon matures, it loses almost all use of its legs as well as its ability to survive on land and enters the water permanently. They are adept swimmers and eat whatever fish are in the lake they live in. They usually stay in the same lake their entire life, although a few live in the ocean and swim all over the world._

 **White Dragon.** _White dragons are pacifists, and specialize in extremely strong healing magic. The only limit of this magic is that it can't bring back the dead. They only eat plants, and never kill living things._

 **Red Dragon**.  _Red dragons are similar to typical story book dragons. They shoot flames, can fly, etc. However, they aren't evil creatures as depicted in myths, and won't go around raiding castles, killing knights, or kidnapping princesses. They live in a variety of habitats, from forests to coastlines to abandoned castles, usually in warm climates, and eat whatever living creatures they can find._

 **Dorso Dragon**. _Dorsal dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates._

 **Gray Dragon.** _Gray dragons are the masters of the skies. They are excellent flyers and land only to rest and eat. In addition, they have full control of the weather. They are very hot-tempered and easily angered. They will attack any human that bothers them, conjuring strong winds and dangerous lightning._

 **Vine Dragon**. _Dark green dragons, once they mature, appear to become an entirely different species. However, this isn't true. Rather, they burrow underground and get nutrients from their vines. These vines are sometimes referred to as Dragon Grass. These dragons are very violent, and will use their vines to capture, kill, and eat anything that moves, as well as nearby plants. Luckily, their range is limited and they cannot use magic. Dark green dragons tend to be easy to spot since they usually kill all plants around them and thus are usually surrounded by a large clearing._

 **Purple Dragon.**   _It was previously believed that purple dragons were exclusively female, but this is not the case. Recent environmental shifts have revealed the existence of both genders of this breed. Female behavior is well known; they are primarily herbivores but will eat meat during mating season. On the other hand, very little is known about the behavior and habits of male purple dragons._

 **Sungsong Dragon**. _Sunsong Amphipteres are an unusual breed. Due to light interference caused by their magical nature, they don’t seem to be affected by any ambient light source. However, when struck by direct sunlight, they shine a brilliant gold. They are playful and ever in flight; their ethereal and mysterious appearance and the fact that they are usually only seen at a distance have led many to believe they are a symbol of hope and good fortune._

 **Black Dragon.** _Black dragons are warriors. They are strong and capable in battles of force, but also ample magic users, capable of devastating opponents with their spells. Their bright eyes give them excellent night vision, which is why they generally hunt during the night._

 

 

**Notable Dragon Clans and Nations**

The Empire \- Started and run by Lola (human). The Empire, still up and coming, is the main dragon settlement of this story. It is run primary by **Emperial Majesty** and **Regal Mercy** , with help from **Surge of the Typhoon** and **Tears in the Breeze.**

The Kingdom \- Started by the dragon **Sirius** and run by **The Queen**.  The Kingdom is an old, matriarchal society, carved primary into a mountain side and hidden from humans. The Kingdom is the oldest and most strict of any known dragon settlement, with centuries of power behind it. No humans are welcome within it's confines and outsiders are not treated kindly.

The Silver City \- Started and run by the dragon **Marius**.  The Silver City is a city made to encourage interaction between dragon and humans, though the heavy presence of dragons in the city is a secret from most humans that pass through. Silver City is set up as a trading post, commerce based city, where humans are encouraged to pass through but not stay.

The Clan of Red Death Stalking \- Started and run by **RDS** , a roaming black dragon. She and her clan are nomads and travelers, full of restlessness and wander lust, though occasionally they consider The Silver City their home.

 

 

**Dragon Documentation (A character List)**

The Empire

  * Lola (human) - After being banished from her village and stumbling upon a dragon cave, began raising a dragon clan that would eventually evolve into being a long known Empire.
  * Emperial Majesty (Magi Dragon) [male]
  * Regal Mercy (White Dragon) [male]
  * Surge of the Typhoon (Water Dragon)  [male]
  * Tears in the Breeze (Skywing Dragon)  [female]
  * Amazoness (Red Dragon) [female]
  * Rage of the Sky (Grey Dragon) [female]
  * Beaneath You It Devours (Vine Dragon) [male] 
  * Miranda (Dorso Dragon) [female]



 

The Silver City

  * Marius (Golden Wyvern) [male]
  * Queen Ether (Magi Dragon) [female]
  * Sire Nyx (Nebula Dragon ~purple) [male]



 

Red Death Stalking's Clan

  * RDS (Black Dragon) [female]
  * Amarrah (Magi Dragon) [female]



 

The Kingdom

  * The Queen (Ember Dragon) [female]
  * The King (Golden Wyvern) [male]




	6. The Kingdom (Part I - History)

If she had to pinpoint a time when things began to change in The Kingdom, she would have related it to the birth of **The Prince** and **Princess**. That was when the prophets and magicians began to whisper more fiercely into **The Queen's** ear, when **Sirius** had begun to give the order to expand, and when **The Secret Keeper** began to grow silent and cloister himself. She had not been important then, just an ordinary servant of  The Kingdom, someone invisible that was free to hear the whispers and even give them herself. It was not long after those events; **The Prince** had scarcely had his wings and **The Princess** was matured no longer than a dragon's fortnight, that **The Queen** had decided that she was pretty, desirable, deemed her **The Rose** , made a position of it and a somebody of her. Not somebody that she wanted to be, of course. If she had been property before, she was a trinket now. Amusement for **The Queen** , more than simply a servant, but less than a slave. She could not move without **The Queen's** word, was made to be an object of desire that no one was allowed to touch without word from **The Queen** \--and **The Queen** did not give her word often. She resigned herself to it, though. What other choice did she have? One could be killed for smaller offenses than slighting **The Queen.**

They had moved from their previous dwelling and into a new castle. All were encouraged to practice the art of human disguise, as **Sirius** had decided that they would no longer hide from mortals, but among them. The Palace was still of size for them to move through halls, have rest in their rooms, in the form natural to them, but other rooms were not, for the express purpose of practice and customization.

She happened to be in one of **The Queen's** rooms, tidying for her, in and out with other such errands, when **The Prophet** came. She heard his prophecies as he whispered them to **The Queen** , discreet, but not fearful when the only ears were that of **The Queen's** pretty little pet.

"I see several that will be of impact, my lady. Others that will rise as we have risen, as **_He_**  has risen us."

"Tell me what you see," **The Queen** demanded. She always demanded, never asked. She was not, and never could be called, a soft queen.

 **The Prophet's** eyes took on the glow of seeing. She had witnessed it before, but it continued to intrigued her. She was not among the most magical of her kind and such displayed were so fascinating and awe inspiring. "I see the shadow that could walk in your steps and beyond. I see one that will gather a span vast as ours, infinitely unfocused, yet seamlessly melded into the world the humans claim. The blink of a human that will sire our neighbors and perhaps rivals."

"A human." **The Queen's** harsh glare on **The Prophet** was unnoticed as he did not come from his trance. "Why these three together? What purpose is in this?"

The stars seemed to shift across his body, as if they realigned to the will of her question, before he spoke. "They will all be as we already are. Kingdom, Empire, State, Nation--"

"Who are they?"

He was silent for a beat. "The path is open for both ally and enemy, successor or destroyer--"

"Is the human going to be a threat to me or The Kingdom?" She demanded. **The Rose** noted that **The Queen** seemed to interrupt her prophet a lot. Even though it seemed she asked the right questions, she could not but wonder if **The Queen** missed out on much by such an act.

 **The Prophet** just answered, unwilling or unable to himself note the hasty behavior. "No. The human will not endanger us."

"The other two that will raise societies of their own, what do you see for them?"

"Only one is born worthy to walk your steps, the other is lesser in the eyes of our kingdom."

"Hmm." **The Queen** pondered this, looking into a mirror to study her human form as she did so. **The Rose** did not often catch **The Prophet** in disguise and wondered if he was made to uphold the creed of such practice as all other were. "That is enough, **Prophet**." The glow over his eyes dimmed promptly. "Send to me **The Compass** and **Pathfinder**. I want to know more of these dragons."

"The human, my queen?" **The Queen** affixed him with a stabbing glare, but he looked not the least bit afflicted. "What interest is a human to me? You have said she is a blink, as all humans. If this possibility comes to fruit, then I will look into her petty orchid, until then I've no need."

 **The Prophet** nodded his head to her. "As you say."

He left the room and **The Queen** fixed her gaze next on **The Rose**. "You are dismissed, as well." **The Queen** did not look as **The Rose** bowed and retreated, turning away from the servant to her human nesting --bed, it was called-- and lying upon it. Having to uphold disguise, it could not have been as comfortable as it seemed for the humans, but perhaps that was the point. After receiving such shaky predictions, it was more beneficial to be awake for thinking, not comfortable a sleep.

* * *

 

 **The Princess** kept her ear pressed close to **The Queen's** chamber door, trying to listen to what was going on within. **The Princess** could be a nosy child, already ready to insert herself into the business of others at the slightest provocation.

"You know you shouldn't be there."

 **The Princess** flinched as she turned to the dragon before her and those that were approaching still from the hall, dragon's in **The Queen's** special arsenal. "Umm..." She backed up a step, not knowing what to say after being caught spying.

"Just run along," One of the turpintine dragons said. She said to the others. "We don't have time to discipline children."

The Sunset dragon jerked it's head to the side, indication that she should leave. She did so unhappily, meeting her brother at the end of the hall.

"Find out anything?" He asked.

"No. **The Queen's** magicians caught me."

"What are they going to do?" **The Prince** wondered.

"How should I know? I just said they chased me away."

The Prince nudged her back towards where she'd come from. "Let's find out."

"What if **The Queen** catches us?" She asked.

"Or if someone else catches you." The two jumped at the sound of the unfamiliar dragon. It was one of **The Queen's** turpintine dragons, but **The Princess** did not know if it was the one that had let her go earlier. The two were nearly impossible to tell apart and she knew so little about them, save for that they handled sneaky business.

"I thought you said that you didn't have time to discipline children." **The Princess** tried.

"I said no such thing," The dragon replied. "Now, how about the two of you go before **The Witcher** is next to catch you."

The two children paled and ran from the corridor.

* * *

 

The turpintine returned to **The Queen's** chambers, meeting her gaze immediately upon return.

"Have you sent them off?" She asked.

"Yes, my Queen."

She nodded and turned her gaze to the group she had called before her. The two turpintine dragons, **The Spy** and **Thief** , the sunset dragon who was **The Withcher** , and the nebula that was **The Compass.** "I have an assignment for all of you. I need you keep a preemptive eye on a few dragons of interest. **Spy** , **Thief** , you are to seek out a golden wyvern known as **Marius**. He is little more than an upstart at the moment, but he should be watched. Learn of he and his, and report anything of interest. **Witcher** , you are to integrate yourself into the folds of a black dragon know as **Red Death Stalking**. She shows promise. Unless I give the order otherwise, be certain no mortal harm strikes her down. Nothing otherwise. **My Compass** , here, shall guide you to where they dwell."

They all nodded.

"As you say, my Queen." **The Witcher** answered.

"If I may ask, my Queen, what is the significance of our charges?" **The Thief** inquired.

"Pleasures at best, disappointments at worst. Dismissed."

They all bowed their head respectfully, following **The Compass** as it lead he lead the way down the hall. **The Spy** glanced behind the group, over her shoulder, seeing the retreating form of **The Ambassador** and wondering why he would need to be in such a hurry. She decided to tuck her suspicions away for the moment. She had more important assignments than disfavored royals of little power and no influence.


End file.
